Laws of Attraction
by kpgleek13
Summary: AU. Brittany Pierce is one step closer to her dream of becoming a lawyer when she got accepted to Harvard Law. But what happens when she meets blockmate Santana Lopez, the daughter of a famous, bigtime lawyer in the country. Would she be able to resist the Latina's charms and focus on her dreams or let herself be distracted and fall in love in the process?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic. So, please be nice. Harhar. I've been inspired to write this because of some of my experiences in law school.**

**All mistakes are mine. Give it a chance, I swear that it gets better :)**

**I DO NOT OWN GLEE, HARVARD, OR ANY/SOME OF THE CHARACTERS. HOWEVER, I DO OWN THIS STORY. All rights reserved by the author.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

\- Brittany POV -

"Brittany! Wake up or you'll be late for your first day of school!" Rachel screams as I see her hovering above my face.

I can barely register everything around me before I replied through half-open eyes, "Huh? What time is it?"

"It's already 8:20! Your alarm didn't go off. Now get up or you'll be late!" She exclaims.

As soon as I heard the time, I immediately shoot up from the bed and grab my towel on the way to the bathroom. Prior to moving in, Rachel and I were having a tough time finding an apartment near school. We contemplated availing the school dorm but we wanted to have some independence and just decided to try our luck outside campus. We were about to give up finding a reasonably priced apartment after days of searching when we came across an ad that was just placed by some guy who was walking away and decided to try our luck. We literally chased him as he ran all scared and only stopped in his tracks when we told him about the ad.

Anyway, when he finally showed us the place, Rachel and I immediately fell in love with it. It was perfect for us. The apartment had 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, spacious living room, and the bathroom even has a tub! It was amazing! He said that his roommate just moved in with his girlfriend so he didn't need the extra space anymore. Within 5 minutes of checking and seeing that there were no rats or broken stuff, we took the apartment. I mean, for this space, a reasonable price, and considering that it's only about 5-10 minutes tops away from campus, we'd be crazy not to.

After 10 minutes of taking a shower, I ran to my room and looked for something to wear. A sweater and slacks, or a hoodie and some pants? Shit. I settled on anice, simple gray sweater and slacks. I finish fixing myself in front of the mirror when I turn to look at the clock and it's 8:35 already. I grabbed all the stuff I need for my class today, stuff it in my backpack and went out my room.

"Britt, I made you some bagels and a waffle sandwich to go." Rachel says as she walks towards me with a paper bag in hand. "Now go and impress everyone today and be the amazing person that you are!" She added as I see that her eyes are getting all watery; which means that she's about to engage on some speech regarding the future, humanity, and some random topic that has no relevance to the other two, so I cut her short.

"Uhmm.. Yeah, Rach. But I really have to go. Can't run late for my first day." I take a bite of the bagel. "Thanks for breakfast. Goodluck on your first day, too!" I said as I run out the door while stuffing another bite in my mouth.

* * *

I'm now walking, but more like brisk walking while eating my breakfast on the way to school while evading people on the sidewalk. Getting into law school has always been a dream of mine. It doesn't matter where it is as long as I get in. Lucky enough, I got into Harvard. My parents and younger sister were completely overjoyed when they saw my acceptance letter, I was in a bit of shock for a couple of hours that I got in to such a prestigious law school but after reading it a couple more times, it sunk in and I couldn't be any happier. I mean, Princeton's prestigious as well but this is Harvard Law, come on! I also learned that my best friend, Rachel got in for Law with me. Yes, we're a bunch of big nerds but we promised each other since we were kids that we're gonna be big time professionals one day.

I finally arrived in school and take out a map that some random person gave to me upon arriving here on my first day. "Alright.. Hauser Hall, Hauser Hall, where are you?" I mumble to myself as I look at the map and my surroundings, back and forth. When I finally figure out where I need to go, I quickly throw my trash and literally run towards the building. It's now 8:53 and my class starts at 9. I don't want to make a bad impression, so I'm now channeling Usain Bolt.

"Oh gosh, finally." I mumble again to myself as I arrive in front of my building. I hastily went inside and go to my designated classroom. When I finally arrive in front of it, I checked again to make sure that I am where I'm supposed to be and glancing at my watch to see that I've got a minute to spare. When I became sure, I entered the room to see that my professor isn't there yet. I breathed a sigh and take in my environment and the beautiful room. The room looks more like a small auditorium. There were ten to twelve rows of tables, or more like a long kind of table which were accompanied by red chairs. In front of the room is a big, curve black board, a table with a black swivel chair behind it, and a podium on the right side just in front of it. There were beautiful lights in every corner of the room which gives the room a rustic feel, as well as making the place conducive to learning. I take it all in before I notice that everyone was looking at me. I immediately realize that I'm standing near the middle of the room taking in everything while looking like a complete idiot. I quickly survey the room to find a vacant seat.

"Hey, Blondie!"

I whipped my head to the right to see a dark-skinned woman gesturing for me in the second row.

"There's a vacant here. Come on!" She says.

I smile at her with relief as I walk towards her direction and sit beside her. "Hi, I'm Mercedes Jones. What's up?" She says while holding out her hand with a smile.

"Brittany Pierce. Sorry, got a bit lost there. Thought I was gonna be late or something. Thanks for letting me sit with you." I said while I shake her hand and return the smile.

"Oh, that's cool. I don't know anyone here, too." She added.

I was supposed to say something else when the door opened and a plump looking man in corporate attire came in carrying a briefcase in his hand and a bunch of papers on the other.

I didn't realize it but I almost instantly froze at the the sight of him entering the room. This is after all, my first class in law school. Even though I studied heavily these past few days for my classes today, I still feel that I'm not ready enough. My heart is beating out of my chest and I'm shaking now. I look beside me to see that Mercedes feels the same nervousness as I do. As our professor reaches his table to set his things down. I look around to see that the whole class is taking out their laptops and materials for this class in a hurry, so I do the same.

"Alright. Ladies and gentlemen, This is Criminal Law. If you're wondering who I am, I'm Professor Ken Tanaka." He says as he moves further towards the middle of the room with his hands on his pockets. "Gird your loins because it ain't gonna be easy, folks. I ought to tell you as early as now that out of 80 here, I'm only going to give Honors to 5 of you, 10 if you're all good enough, which I doubt. I only give a Pass to those who deserve it. Everyone else will get a Low Pass or if you're hopeless, Fail. Depends on my mood." He says with a chuckle. I gulped heavily at this and my heart is beating so fast. He starts to walk around and continue with his speech.

"We are going to discuss cases exhaustively every meeting. I'm gonna make you study so hard, that you'll be seeing me in your dreams. That is, if you get to sleep at all." He smirks. "I don't care if you're the son or daughter of a rich businessman or that you came from an influential family. Hell, I don't care if you're Obama's kid. I am here to train you to become lawyers. What matters to me is that you have the brains and the guts to survive. If you're weak or stupid, I suggest that you get out now and never come back because this stuff is not for the faint-hearted." He approached a girl in the front row, glaring at her with his hands on her desk. "I will make you kids cry at night because of how difficult your life is going to be from now on. _Every. Damn. Night._" He says without taking his eyes off of her and I hear her gulped loudly.

He then laughs in an evil way before going back to his desk and grabbing a piece of paper that looks like a class list of some sort to me then he looks back at us. "So, I take it that you all studied my syllabus and have done your homework." We just stared at him. "Good." He says as he settles on the podium with a bunch of papers. "You should all know that I will hold recitation every now and then and finish everything that I've assigned for the day. _Always._ Recitation won't be part of your grade. So, don't worry about it since I'll be discussing most of the time." He then looks at us again. "You will only have _one test_ by the end of this course which will determine your fate in my class. It's _all or nothing_." He added and I'm so nervous I don't think I'm breathing.

"Alright then, kids. We'll discuss the first 120 cases. I'm expecting that you've all studied well and memorized the provisions I asked you to." We all stare at him again. "Okay. Let's get started then." He glances on a piece of paper before looking back at us.

"Oh, and welcome to Harvard Law School." He says with a smirk that I'm so tempted to wipe off his face.

* * *

I'm rubbing my temple right now and pondering how much more Tanaka will make us suffer. He already made 2 girls cry and is in the process of making a third one, too. After a couple of minutes, our 1 and a half hour class came to an end, he assigned another 100 cases for us to read and a couple of provisions to memorize. All for the day after tomorrow. Mercedes and I agreed to have a quick brunch when we realized that we all have the same classes together and are now walking to Langdell Hall for our next and last class for the day.

"He's such a jerk." Mercedes yaps while we were on our way to the building of our next class.

"Yeah, kinda. We don't have a choice though. Let's just hope he goes easy on us when it's our turn." I told her with disdain and she just nods at me.

We arrive at our destination and we're a bit glad to get good seats. The room is much smaller than the one in Hauser Hall and looks more like a normal classroom with normal looking desks and chairs, a long curve board in front, and a professor's desk. So, now we're just waiting for our professor while reviewing a bit with the materials assigned.

"I never expected my first day to be this intense, girl! Back in Princeton Undergrad, things we're much chiller than this." Mercedes tells me with her hand supporting her head while looking at me.

"No way! You're from Princeton, too?" I yelped out a little loud for my other seat mate to hear and he just gives me a spiteful stare.

"Hell, yeah! Finance. You?" Mercedes exclaims.

"Economics! It's so cool that we're both from the same school!" I tell her as we high-five each other.

"I know. Small world, right? How come I've never seen you around?" She asks.

"I only know a few from Finance. I never really socialized and went out that much. My buddy's name is Artie. You know him?"

"Wheels? Yeah. We had classes together." She tells me then adds almost immediately. "Oh! I've definitely seen you around. You had top honors in your course and Artie told me about you being a brainiac!" She added.

I blushed at this. It's true but I didn't want anybody to know about it. The pressure to get good and decent grades is more than enough, let alone everyone know that stuff. And besides who would care? Everyone here has stellar resumès.

"I can't believe he told you about that." I jest.

And just like clockwork; a tall, dark, and handsome man in a nice suit enters the room carrying a briefcase while smiling at us. He must be in his early or mid 30s and was rather dashing. He's the complete opposite of Professor Tanaka and I could honestly say that he has the looks of a model. I hear a couple of girls swoon in the room and others saying that he's hot and single. Nothing like a magnet for sexual harassment.

"Hey guys." He sets his briefcase on the professor's desk. "Professor Carl Howell." Gesturing to himself. "I'll be your professor for Contracts." He flashes a megawatt smile and I hear random girls swooning over him, including Mercedes. I wonder who his dentist is, those are nice whites he got there.

"Oh, girl. He's hot!" She whispers to me.

"I understand that it's your first day, so how about we chill for a bit first and introduce ourselves to one another. I'll be nice today." He smirks to no one in particular and we all breathed a sigh of relief to hear that there will be no recitation. "Let's start with you there, pretty lady. Then we'll move around towards the front." Motioning for the girl at the back, meaning that Mercedes and I will be the last ones. "Alright. Name, previous school, course, if you want to include your honors is completely up to you, and your status." He says with a wink and settles to sit slightly on his desk in front.

"Uhmm.. Hi everyone, I'm Tina Cohen-Chang. I came from NYU and graduated with a degree in Management, cum laude." No one was shocked. I think I was the only one in awe. "And I have a fiancé." She says with a smile as she looks to the Asian guy beside her who was also grinning.

"Of course you do." He says and the girl blushes. I don't even know if it's allowed for professors to flirt with their students but almost every girl in the room is clearly enjoying this. "Next, please!" He added.

The hour went by fast because of the introductions. We were at least 75-80 in the room. So, it surprised me that he was even remotely interested to have us introduce ourselves. Anyway, a few of them stood out for me. Like Mike, Tina's fiancé who graduated with the same honors, school and course as her. They also have the same surname and I wondered a bit if they were siblings or something at first. There was also someone from West Point. A neurosurgeon who left her practice to follow her dreams of becoming a lawyer. I think there's an astronaut, too.

"Brittany!" Mercedes whispers.

I was pulled out of my thoughts and looked at her to see that she's gesturing towards Howell when I realize that everyone else is looking at me, too. It seems that it's my turn, being that I'm the last.

"Oh, I'm sorry." As I stand up and a bit embarrassed.

"It's okay. You're the last one, miss beautiful." He winks at me and I cringe a little inside. "But before you introduce yourself," He trails off while looking at a paper in his hands. "Is Lopez present? Santana Lopez?" He adds while looking around which we all do so as well. I don't think I remember someone with that name though. "That's a bummer." Howell cries out looking disappointed "Alright then, please continue." He clasps his hands together and looks at me with a smile.

"Uhmm.. Hi, I'm Brittany S. Pierce." I glance at the class and I can see some faces crunch up in confusion and some eyebrows raised, as well. So, I quickly try and save myself. "Oh.. Not like Brittany Spears though." I then see some smiles and everyone laughed. I take this as my cue to continue. "I graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Economics." I told everyone and there came a silent reply and a few eyebrows raised. I don't know if it was shock or whatever but it was definitely something. _Maybe it's something about being blonde._

"Hmm.. Pierce from Princeton? You were my sister's student. Microeconomics?"

I thought about it for a second and I immediately elicited an "Oh. I remember her. She was a great teacher." Then smiled.

Howell chuckled and followed with "She can't shut up about you whenever we're boasting about our students. She told me you were brilliant. The best even."

I blushed heavily. "Oh, Uhmm.. Just did my part, sir." I replied. Everyone was silent and I can tell they're trying to figure me out or something.

"Well, she can't shut up about how incredibly amazing you are. I guess being a summa cum laude, having a perfect 4.0 GPA, being the highest-ranking undergraduate in a graduating class of two thousand, and getting a bunch of research and scholarly awards from all over the globe that I won't be able to count with both of my hands and feet combined is just doing your part, right Ms. Pierce?" He smirks at me and everyone is staring at me right now, they all look like vultures about to eat me. I just opt to stay quiet though.

"So, anything else?" He asks while looking at a piece of paper.

I think back to what he wanted us to state and I remember the status thing. So, I sigh and groan it out loud silently. "I'm single."

"What?"

"I'm single, sir." And with that, everyone had their grins up to their ears and a couple of boys were cheering.

"You're pretty, smart, and you seem nice. How come you don't have a boyfriend?" He asks me with a smile, more like a smirk.

I contemplated blurting out about my sexuality right here and now. I mean, it's not really a secret. I'm out to everyone and everyone has been nothing but supportive, especially my family. I'm just unsure if it's alright to divulge this kind of information informally. But, whatever. I'll be who I am.

"No boyfriend, sir." I told him.

"Yeah, and why is that?" He laughs a little before looking at me with an eyebrow raised while he keeps on pressing me about this.

"Uhmm.. Because I'm gay." I said. And there is that ear-splitting silence again. I see that mouths are open and everyone is in shock.

"Oh." Was all he can say. He stared at me for a second or two then he smiled. "Now I understand what my sister said about boys _and_ girls going _crazy over you_ back in college." He laughed and nodded.

* * *

"How come you didn't tell me you were gay?" Mercedes asks me while we were walking. Our class just ended and it's just a little before lunch. We agreed to stop by this coffee shop just outside campus and grab a quick snack since we weren't hungry before going our separate ways.

"I wasn't supposed to yet. I was afraid that things will get awkward too fast and it's only our first day of school." I told her with a slight pout.

"Oh, Brittany! I love my gays! I still think of you the same way." She told me with a smile.

"Thank you, Mercedes." I told her with sincerity and she just squeezes my arm.

We've arrived in the coffee shop and ordered coffee and snacks then grabbed a table near the window as we sipped our coffees in silence.

"So, anyone special in your life right now?" She asks me while wiggling her eyebrows.

"Nah, I've been single for quite a while now. Just went on a date every now and then." I tell her.

"Hell to the no! A girl as pretty and smart as you can't be that single for long."

"I guess that's the problem." I sigh. "My life has always been all about studying. If not, I was working a few jobs back in college to make up for the time."

"Why?" I can see the curiosity in her eyes.

"That's just the way I am, I think." I shrugged. She doesn't push for it anymore and I'm grateful for that.

"How about you?" I ask Mercedes.

"Oh, I go out with some guys every now and then but it's just really hard to find some quality ones. Assholes here, there, and everywhere." She says with a shrug and we both agree and laugh.

We settle in a comfortable silence again when a fashionably dressed guy approaches us with a coffee in hand. _Must be gay, I thought._ I recognize him as our block mate, Kurt Hummel. I remember him as the Cornell English Literature grad.

"Hi girls, do you mind if I sit with the both of you?" He asks with a smile.

"Hey! Not at all." Mercedes says with a cheerful tone as we gesture for him to sit beside me and Mercedes.

"So, I'm Kurt. I assume that we all have the same classes being that we're blockmates and all." He offers his hand to me "You're Brittany." I nodded with a smile as he shakes my hand then looks to his other side. "And Mercedes." He states matter of factly as he shakes Mercedes' hand.

"This was some first day, huh?" He laughs as he sipped his coffee.

"Oh, yeah. We thought we were gonna have a heart attack or something." Mercedes says.

"And I thought I was the only one sure of having a stroke back there!" He says and we all chuckle.

We all chatted for half an hour or so before we all went our separate ways. Mostly, just getting to know each other. I found out that Kurt is gay. _No surprise there though_. He told me that he'd done the same thing if Howell pulled that act on him which I appreciated. I also discovered that he worked a bit for Vogue while studying in Cornell. _Interesting, the fashion thing reall_y is legit. His father owns a chain of auto shops around Ohio and his mom passed away when he was a kid. So, it's just him and his dad who I can tell is very proud of Kurt.

Mercedes, on the other hand, grew up in the limelight. Her father happens to be a music legend. She lives in Hollywood which got me really excited. Were it not for her parents' urging that she pursue law, she'd rather just embark on a music career just like her dad and I can tell she's really passionate about it. So, she and her family had a deal for her to try out law school for a year and if it doesn't work out, they would gladly support their soon to be superstar daughter.

* * *

I decided to spend the rest of the day in a Starbucks near school studying for my Criminal Law class and reviewing some of my Contracts cases. I didn't even notice that it was already 7pm and my stomach is grumbling like crazy. So, I just decided to go pack my things up and go. As I walk back home, the fatigue of studying the whole day and the stress of my first day in class has taken its toll on me. I'm so tired I just want to sleep. Before I forgot though, I quickly stopped by this Chinese place that Rachel and I have been eyeing for weeks now to grab dinner. A couple of minutes later, I enter our apartment exhaustedly as I felt like I ran a marathon. I see Rachel in the living room upon entering.

"Hey Britt!" Rachel shouts from our couch while reading a book.

"Hey, Rachel. I got us dinner." I told her as I sat down beside her and she smiles upon seeing food.

"Ooh! Thanks Britt! I was just about to call you to ask what you wanted." She says while grabbing the food from me then setting everything on the table in front of our couch. I also grab two bottles of water from our fridge. We both ate instantly as soon as we figured out which one is for whom.

"Oh, God. This is good! Is this from the place two blocks from us?" She asked while eating her chicken. I just nod because it really is good. We settle in a comfortable silence and just ate dinner. We were almost done when she decided to speak up again.

"So, how was your first day?" She asks eagerly.

"It was tiring. Really. So stressful... Just sleep..." I make out words as I finish up my food and took the whole bottle of water in almost 2 gulps. I was really tired and just wanted to rest.

"You so are. But you don't have class tomorrow, right?"

I just nod as a reply.

She laughed and grabbed my dinner from my hand. "Why don't you go freshen up and grab some rest already. I'll clean up here. Let's just talk tomorrow when you're not like someone from the Walking Dead." She says and it's my turn to chuckle and nod.

"Do I get to be Beth? I mean, she's really really pretty." I say with my eyes half-closed.

Rachel laughs "You even get to be Tyreese, if you want." I grin like a kid at this.

"Now go and rest before you pass out on me!" She says then pushes playfully.

"Thanks, Rach. Love you!" I told her as I get up and try to walk like a zombie.

"Love you too, Britt!" She giggles and shakes her head at my antics.

I walk to my bedroom with my eyes half-closed. I immediately slumped on my bed as soon as I changed into an oversized shirt and short shorts.

The last thing I heard was a loud engine of a car revving outside before I fell asleep.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Thoughts and reviews would be gladly appreciated :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**\- Santana POV -**

"Santana, you really ought to go to class before the dean busts your ass to your mom!" Quinn shouts from across the kitchen.

"I will, Mother! And my class isn't like for another hour." I shouted back and let out a sigh as I step out of my room after fixing myself. I see her whipping up eggs and cooking some bacon while singing to the radio when she hears me coming towards her and glances me up and down.

"You're going to class with that? Satan, it's law school, not a fashion show." Quinn teases with an eyebrow raised and a smirk as she hands me a cup of coffee. I don't think it's all that bad though. I'm wearing a black dress that stops just above my knees and hugs my body in all the right places, a white blazer to match it, and some kick-ass Louboutin's.

"Very funny, Fabgay. I'm just making up for my absence last week." I say with a wink at her as I take a sip of my coffee.

"You sure are." Quinn says with both of her eyebrows raised and an exasperated sigh.

"They're missing half of their lives without me in there. Not to mention how my mom would react if she knew I was gone for the past week."

"I know and I would've heard the end of it. You can't just take off like that next time without telling me. I was kinda worried, you know. I wouldn't have known what to tell your mom if she called or something and we both know how she can be." Quinn muttered under her breath as she settles a plate of whatever she was cooking in front of us and I felt a slight pang of guilt.

"Kinda worried? We've known each other since we were kids and you're just "kinda worried"? I'm semi-hurt, Q." I told her with a chuckle feigning hurt while she playfully shoves me.

"You know what I mean, S. Just don't do that again without letting me know where you are and how you're doing. For all I know, you got abducted by a bunch of girls and taken to some abandoned building, just like in the movies." She huffed with a dramatic hand gesture.

"That actually seems kinda fun." I tell her while stuffing a bacon in my mouth while she rolls her eyes at me and crosses her arms. "Right, won't happen again." I grin and take another sip of my coffee as she shakes her head while smiling.

It's not a secret that I'm gay, I'm as out as how we all know that Neil Patrick Harris will perform an opening number in every awards show he hosts. I came out during high school and to no surprise, my parents and Quinn knew it before I did and they've accepted and supported me whole-heartedly since. Of course, coming out also has its liabilities. Several of my friends back then left me because as they say, it's embarrassing to be around someone who's openly gay but whatever, I'm over that and I've never been better.

"So, tell me, how was Saint-Tropez?" She asks with a smirk.

* * *

We had a little chit-chat for about an half-hour or so before I had to leave for school. We caught up about my little vacation and how law school was so far for her. Quinn and I met when we were about 6 and after a debate of who's better, Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera. We've been inseparable since and I still think that Christina is _wayyyy better_.

Quinn and I went to the same high school, even studied in Harvard together for college and now, in Harvard Law. She's the closest friend I have. We both don't have any siblings but we're basically like sisters and both of our families know that. Oh, and she's probably the only one who can endure my being a bitch. I mean, we've been roommates since we started college. That's like the ultimate test.

Another important thing to note as well is that, she's also gay. She came out a few months after I did and everybody thought that we were together or something. We vehemently denied this, we're even scared out of our shit just by the thought of it. Overtime though, our parents were finally convinced that there is no way in hell that we can be together and accepted the fact that we were really just best friends.

You see, becoming a lawyer has always been Quinn's dream ever since she can remember. Me? I just came along for the ride. I didn't plan out my life like Quinn did, so I thought to just go for anything that's worthy. Anyway, she was hell-bent on applying for Harvard Law and convinced me relentlessly to join her, so I just applied as well. Lo and behold, we both passed and are now here.

Imagine how happy my parents were knowing that their only child will be studying in one of the top law schools in the world. Now that I think about it, you don't really have much of a choice when your mom owns and is a name partner in one of the biggest and most successful law firms in New York and your dad's a famous surgeon and the chief of staff in a top New York hospital. It's expected for me to be just as great as them. Awesome right? Well, yeah. It can get pretty lonely though with both of my parents always working but don't get me wrong, we're a pretty tight family.

So, no pressure at all. _No friggin' pressure._

Anyway, before I went on my merry way, Quinn also told me about this girl named Rachel that she met in her block and how they've become friends and can't wait for her to meet me. From the sound of it, this Rachel girl is kind of a diva. I mean, who owns a pen with a glittered-covered star in it and actually use that pen for class? But Quinn keeps on insisting that she's nice and if I didn't know any better, Fabgay's got a thing for her.

So, here I am in Harvard now. I've finally arrived after a 10 minute drive and just got off my new car, a present given to me by my parents for graduating and deciding to pursue law. _How about that, y'all?_ I'm now walking towards Hauser Hall and just taking everything in as I look around. It's Fall and the leaves are dancing around in the air together with the slight breeze that comes with it. I know Harvard like the back of my hand, and this time of the year is always so beautiful. This place has been my home for a couple of years already and it's kinda grown on me over time.

So, arriving in my building, I entered my classroom to see that it's full of people inside already. I survey for a vacant seat in front of the class but as I look around, I noticed that everyone's looking at me. You know what? I think "_staring_" is the _right word_. Everyone's silent and it seems like they've stopped doing what they just did before I entered. There were some guys who looked like they were discussing something and are even facing each other but their heads are all pointed towards me. Some girls were looking at my outfit and shoes. I even saw a nerd with his mouth open and some drool coming out. I'm serious, I don't know if I should be amazed or disgusted right now.

So, as soon as I see an unoccupied seat somewhere in between a row of a group of nerds and anti-social looking girls, I hold my head up high, strut my way to that vacant chair just in the middle of the room and immediately see wandering eyes following me as I take a seat. Some still staring and some checking me out. I give myself an imaginary pat in the back for this.

Nothing like a grand entrance. Mission accomplished.

"I love your dress." A fashionably, pale skinned, gay looking man sitting beside me says. I look at him and he seems nice enough. So, I smile back at him as I take out my materials. _I'd like to think that he's gay._

"I'm Kurt Hummel." He added as he held out a hand. "Santana Lopez." I replied as I take his hand and shake it.

"I've never seen you here before. Not that I'm being creepy but I'd totally remember someone who has fashion sense like yours out here." He says with a laugh and looks at the class. I do a quick once over on everyone and if I didn't know any better; hoodies, sweater, sweatpants, washed up pants, and slacks are a class uniform here. _Oh, and Kurt's definitely gay._

"Yeah. It's the first time I went to class. Not that I missed anything much, didn't I?"

"Hmm.. Not really. Aside from a professor sent from hell, one who flirts like some high school jock, a 300-page homework, a 30 page term paper to be submitted, and heart attack inducing recitations. I'd say you're pretty good, so far." He finished with a smile and I was left hanging with pretty wide eyes.

"Huh. Not much, I suppose." _Just a lot of catching up I need to fucking do._

"Watch out for this one though. He's made a couple of people cry already." He says to me in a whisper and I nod. We both went back to reading our materials and reviewing before our professor comes in. I was trying to understand something that I've just read when I suddenly saw one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen.

A tall, blonde woman wearing simple jeans and a purple sweater just a few seats in front of me.

She had the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen in my life. I mean, she's a few feet away from me but I can still see how blue her eyes are. _Just. Wow._ She was smiling and talking with another woman. And God, I didn't think that anyone can possibly get prettier but when she smiled, I was terribly, terribly, mistaken.

Don't get me wrong, I've had my fair share of pretty ladies but nothing compares to this woman. I didn't even notice how long I was staring until those blue orbs locked in with mine. It could only have been a second or two but our little staring contest felt like forever. It was then when I realized that Kurt nudged me. Not only once, but twice. I hesitantly turned to look back at him.

"Were you listening to what I just said?" He told me with a chuckle.

"Huh?" I told him absent-mindedly and went back to look at the blonde-haired woman who was still looking at me. Then in a surprise, she smiled! I didn't know what happened but I guess my reflex kicked in or some shit because the next thing I knew, I was looking down at nothing and just blushing like hell! Like I can literally feel the red creeping into my cheeks. _Wow. You've got no game, Lopez._

"Oh, so you've seen her." Kurt coyly tells me while sporting a smirk with his hand supporting his head. I look at him with confusion and he continues. "Her name's Brittany. Princeton grad. From what I've heard, she's a big deal there. She's actually really nice, just a little shy." He says matter-of-factly while looking at the girl. I take another suicidal glimpse at her to see that she's talking animatedly with the woman beside her. It was adorable, actually.

_I mean, it was nice. Like, it was okay. Yeah. Whatever._

"Brittany." I let the name roll out of my mouth. The name suits her though.

"You and almost all the guys in this block." He says with a laugh as he goes back to reading. I look at him questioningly. Like one of those, "how did you know?" kind of looks. I also take a couple of glances with the others in the room. True enough, a handful of guys were taking not-so-subtle glances at her and I feel something inside me that I can't place.

"Hey, it takes one to know one, right?" He says with a wink. "A lot of guys would be oh-so disappointed." He added with a laugh and I shake my head with a smile.

I decided to do a quick glance at Brittany before going back to read my book. As I look up, I see that she was looking at me first this time and for some apparent reason, I just stare at her like an idiot. She smiles at me again and I blush, _again._

_Goddamn it. What is wrong with me?_

It was then that a scary, chubby looking man in a suit who I assume to be the professor comes in and I was pulled out of my current embarrassing situation with Brittany. I had nothing to do but just cover my face with both of my hands and shamelessly shake my head and groan.

_Oh, absolutely no game, Lopez._

* * *

Our criminal law class just ended and boy, was the professor such an asshole. Not only had he managed to make this girl cry but he also embarrassed her to the point of her running out our class. It was actually like watching a telenovela of some sort. It had me and Kurt gasping. It was fun watching the exchange but _no me gusta_. Just intense as shit.

Anyway, I think it was worthy to mention that I didn't look as much as glance at Brittany. Yep, not one glance at her.

Nope. Nada. Nein. No.

Damn it. Who am I kidding?

I've been looking at her during the whole class, in between the mini heart attacks and almost strokes that I had. It's no biggie though. I mean, the class was as boring as shit. Our professor was so grumpy, you'd assume that he was one of the seven dwarves or something. So, looking at something remotely interesting was a necessity not to die of boredom. _Really._

Anyway, as soon as class ended, everyone immediately packed up and left. I found myself searching for the blonde but she wasn't anywhere to be seen anymore. I just finished stuffing everything in my bag while looking around to find Kurt when a voice startled me.

"Looking for someone?" Kurt says and it scared the crap out of me.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Crap. Don't sneak up on me like that!" I added.

"Sorry." He snorts. "I didn't mean to break your focus on finding a certain blonde."

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about." I scrunch my face up to act confused but I think it was more of a face of constipation. I grab my shoulder bag with my right and carry my book on the other as we start to leave.

"Uh-huh." He says with a smirk. I just disregard this. Seriously.

"So..." I try to steer the topic away and settled on trying to get to know Kurt. "Are you from here?"

"Nope. Cornell." He says.

"Awesome! So, what do you say about me showing you around Harvard for a little while?"

"Sure. I need some coffee in my system though. How about we grab a quick snack before Contracts?"

"You had me at coffee." I grin.

I lead him to the Starbucks inside campus, in the cafeteria which we call "The Hark" around here. We grab a quick snack and talk a little about New York but since there wasn't much of a time to enjoy our break, we decided to start walking to Langdell Hall for our Contracts class.

"So, what did you take up here?" Kurt asks me.

"English." I say and he nods. "You?"

"English Lit." And I do the same. "You live near here?" He followed up.

"You trying to stalk me or something, Hummel?" I raise an eyebrow and chuckle at his facial reaction of disgust.

"Santana, I'm only asking because I'm not familiar with Cambridge and I live just a couple blocks away from here."

"Ah.. I see what you're getting at now." As I nod. "I have a roommate who's also attending Law here but she's in another block, her name's Quinn." I tell him as we arrive in front of Langdell hall. "Maybe if we have some free time, we can all hang out together and we'll show you how it's done here in Cambridge." I added with a smile.

"That would be great. I only know a few people since moving here." He says excitedly and we're almost at our destination.

"Actually, how about we all hang out tonight?" He adds and I look at him questionably at this. "We don't have class tomorrow and God knows when we can go out again since our load is only gonna be heavier." I stick out my bottom lip and nod.

"You know what? That's a good idea." I tell him and he opens the door for me to our classroom which I return with a smile. "My roommate doesn't have any class tomorrow, as well." I tell him as we survey the room and grab some nice seats.

I didn't try to look for Brittany, alright? Well, maybe just a tiny, teeny, little bit but she isn't here yet. So, that doesn't count. Does it?

"Invite your friends, too. We're gonna have fun tonight!" I tell him with a wink and he giggles like a kid as we settle into our seats waiting for our professor.

* * *

It wasn't until a few minutes of waiting that Kurt and I realized we were quite early for class. So, instead of just idling or doing some chit-chat, we just decided to review a little. After a few minutes, students are one by one entering the classroom. It didn't distract me until a certain blonde showed up together with her friend whom she was talking to a while ago.

It took me a moment before it registered that we were staring at each other as they walked towards their seats just a few feet behind us. More so, she was waving and smiling at me! And out of all the supposed and rightful reactions to this scenario, I replied by looking at her with wide eyes of shock. Exactly how characters in horror movies look like whenever they see a ghost or a crazy serial killer. Except in my case, it's just a really stunning, beautiful blonde.

_God, she must think I'm a weirdo now. What the actual fuck is wrong with me?_

I was literally panicking inside and didn't know what to do. I'm just plain frozen. _Oh my god!_

Okay, I know it's over acting but this woman is really activating some shit inside me or doing some voodoo stuff to make me feel this way. I mean, I'm having the stinky panic sweat under my boobs, for fuck's sake!

After a second or so of not breathing because of shock and some internal debate, I finally decide to wave back. As I was about to raise my arms and wave, I was startled by Kurt's action on my right and to my surprise, it was him who waved back.

"Hey, Britt! Mercedes! " He shouts. I look at him with confusion.

"Hey, Kurt!" The dark-skinned woman whom I assume is Mercedes shouts back. She and Brittany stopped for a moment to chat near us then the blonde went on to take her seat but not before smiling and waving at Kurt while the other woman approaches us. _What am I, invisible?_

"How come you didn't join us during the break?" Mercedes asks Kurt.

"I wanted to. I just didn't want to intrude or anything." He says shyly.

"Oh, God no. Nothing to intrude. We were wondering where you were, actually." She says with a comforting smile.

"It's really fine. Besides, I'm keeping Santana company here. She just came to class today." Kurt says while gesturing for me while I just nod.

"Hey, girl! Mercedes Jones." She extends her hand for me to shake. "Santana Lopez." I take hers and give a smile.

"Hold up._ The _Lopez?" Mercedes says with a little shock and I reply by raising my eyebrows in surprise.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Kurt asks curiously.

"Her mom just happens to be one of the most famous and powerful lawyers around." I look at her with questioning eyes. Then she continues "Heard it from my dad." Mercedes says matter-of-factly and I just nod. _Oh, I like her already._

"How come you didn't tell me?" Kurt's shoulders slumped a bit and he's doing a semi-pout.

"What? You didn't ask." I tell him with a shrug as Mercedes and I chuckle.

"Well, gotta go back to my seat and get ready for Mr. Hot Stuff." She says dreamily. "Nice to meet you, Santana." I reply with a nod. "See you later, Kurt!" He smiles and waves. Then Mercedes walks back to Brittany who was intent on reading but stopped and listen for a while to the other woman. From where I was looking, the blonde gave a nod, a smile, then a pout.

Holy cow, it's the cutest mothereffing pout I've ever seen.

I mean, it's so cute, I just wanna kiss her.

_Wait, what?_

Who said anything about a kiss? I didn't say anything. You really have to stop putting words in my mouth like that.

Moving on, it took me a while to recover before I looked back at Kurt who was reading.

"Who?" I asked Kurt, confused.

"What?"

"Huh?" I asked, even more confused.

"Oh, 'Mr. Hot Stuff'?" He asked. I nod. "He's our professor in Contracts. All the girls here are crazy over him." He adds nonchalantly. I scrunched my face at this statement before he follows up with another statement again. "At least, all the straight ones." He says.

Within a minute or two, our professor entered the classroom. I pondered why this guy looks so familiar to me then it clicked.

Holy shit. It's Carl Howell. He was one of my mom's top associates in New York a couple of years ago before he went and made a name for himself. He's a good lawyer from what I can remember my mom telling me but I mostly just recall him because of his shameless flirting.

"Oh, shit." I mumble to myself and I think Kurt heard me because he looked at me weirdly.

I was a bit worried since my mom and Howell still talk, I think my mom trained him or something. So, yeah, if he blabbed about me not going to class for a week to my mom, I'd be so dead.

He placed his stuff on the table in front and took out some papers from his briefcase. After a minute or so, he spoke up.

"Alright class. The lucky person to recite first today is.." He paused for a while looking at a piece of paper. "...Chang." He says and looks up to flash his pearly whites. _Really pearly whites._

A fit, tall Asian guy just in front of me stood up before Howell spoke up again.

"No, not you. The other Chang." He adds and grins when a small, Asian girl stood up. I raise my eyebrow at this and before I can react further, Kurt picked up on it.

"Yeah, they're both Changs. Engaged." He mumbles and I place a hand to my mouth to hold myself back from laughing. I mean, seriously?

They proceeded to discuss a case in between Howell's not-so-subtle flirting and Chang's blushing while being uncomfortable with the professor's antics.

I can definitely see that old habits never die.

* * *

After an hour of him discussing stuff and his incessant flirting with other students which almost disgusted me to death, my attention was called.

"Lopez?" Howell exclaims and everyone scrambled around to see who he was pertaining to. It was when I stood up that they all turned to look at me. Some were whispering to their seat mates, some checking me out. I won't deny the fact that I'm a little nervous. Just a little. Yeah.

"Santana, how nice of you to join us. So, you've finally decided to show up to class now, huh?" He smirks and chuckles. I think he was subtly insulting me or what, so I just stare at him and give him a fake smile before rolling my eyes when he wasn't looking. I hear Kurt muffling his laughter and I glare at him. "Sorry." He mumbles then grins at me.

"How is your mother, Ms. Lopez?"

"Fine." I reply with a monotone voice as if it's the most boring subject ever and he proceeds to clear his throat.

"Alright. So, would you kindly give us the facts for Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Company? I knew you were gone for the past week but I'm expecting..." I cut him off before he finishes his sentence. Luckily for me, it was one of those cases that I had gone about over and over. So, I wasted no time on answering his question.

"Sir, in this case, the Carbolic Smoke Ball Company made a product called the "smoke ball" back in 1892. It claimed to be a cure for influenza and a number of other diseases, during the time of the 1889–1890 flu pandemic which was estimated to have killed 1 million people. The smoke ball was filled with carbolic acid or phenol with a tube attached and would be inserted into a user's nose and squeezed at the bottom to release the vapours. The nose would then run, ostensibly flushing out viral infections.

The Company published advertisements in the Pall Mall Gazette and other newspapers on November 1891, claiming that it would pay £100 to anyone who got sick with influenza after using its product..."

I look around to see that everyone is staring at me and Howell is sporting a serious face and nodding. I take this as my cue to continue.

"The advertisement said that £100 will be rewarded by the Company to any person who contracts the increasing epidemic influenza colds, or any disease, after having used the ball three times daily for two weeks, with the condition that it be done according to the printed directions. Also, it was said that £1000 is deposited with the Alliance Bank showing that they were in fact serious about the matter." I take a breath and continue.

"Mrs. Carlill saw the advertisement, bought one of the balls and used it three times daily for nearly two months until she contracted the flu on January 1892. She claimed £100 from the Carbolic Smoke Ball Company. They ignored her and on a third request for her reward, they replied with an anonymous letter that they had complete confidence over their product and instructions should be followed to the letter for it to be effective, but "to protect themselves against all fraudulent claims" they would require her to come to their office to use the said ball each day and be checked by their secretary. In this regard, Mrs Carlill brought a claim to court. Her counsel argued that the advertisement and her reliance on it was a contract between her and the company, and so they ought to pay. The company argued it was not a serious contract. Hence, the present case." I finished while still looking at Howell. There was complete silence and everyone is looking at me. The nervousness I felt not too long ago was slowly fading._Actually,_ y_ou know what? I'm kinda liking the attention I'm getting here. I mean, it's my first day. Might as well make a good impression on everyone aside from the physical aspect of my being a goddess._

"Alright." Howell finally speaks up. "It really shows that you've studied the case well." I just stare at him. Well, more like a semi-glare.

"So, what was the judgment?" He continues.

I tried to recall as fast as I could and I answered almost instantly._ Well, let's get real you little hypocrites, who doesn't want to show off a little on their first day?_

"The Court of Appeal unanimously rejected the company's arguments and held that there was a fully binding contract for £100 with Mrs Carlill. Among the reasons given by the three judges were; first, that the advertisement was not a unilateral offer to all the world but an offer restricted to those who acted upon the terms contained in the advertisement." I raised my right hand up to my stomach as a gesture that I'm counting.

"Two, that satisfying conditions for using the smoke ball constituted acceptance of the offer. Three, that purchasing or merely using the smoke ball constituted good consideration, because it was a distinct detriment incurred at the behest of the company and, furthermore, more people buying smoke balls by relying on the advertisement was a clear benefit to Carbolic. Fourth, that the company's claim that £1000 was deposited at the Alliance Bank showed the serious intention to be legally bound." I state with confidence and he just looks at me with scrutinizing eyes.

"What did Justice Bowen say about it?" He was really serious now and I felt a little scared by his gaze.

_Ladies and Gentlemen, discussing this would be entering a dangerous territory. Either you do well or sink low. High risk, high reward or something. Whatever, let's do this shit._

"First, he says that the contract was not too vague to be enforced, because it could be interpreted according to what ordinary people would understand by it. However, he differed slightly from Justice Lindley on what time period one could contract flu and still have a claim, the latter saying a "reasonable time" after use, while Bowen said "while the smoke ball is used" but this was not a crucial point, because the fact was that Mrs Carlill got flu while using the smoke ball." I pause to take breath.

"Second, like Lindley, Bowen says that the advert was not mere puff because £1000 was deposited in the bank to pay rewards. Third, he said that although there was an offer to the whole world, there was not a contract with the whole world. Therefore, it was not an absurd basis for a contract, because only the people that used it would bind the company." I pause again.

"Fourth, he says that communication is not necessary to accept the terms of an offer; conduct is and should be sufficient. Fifth, there was clearly good consideration given by Mrs Carlill because she went to the "inconvenience" of using it, and the company got the benefit of extra sales." I finished my statement. There was a deafening silence after this and a clear tension in the room. We stared at each for five seconds then he asked several more questions.

I don't want to bore you with the details anymore because honestly,_ it really is boring_. Let's just say that for every question he had, I had an answer. Good ones at that, I might add. I mean, my block mates were taking notes from me, so I guess I was on the right track. We continued this question and answer thing for almost half an hour or so before he finished interrogating me.

"Good job, Ms. Lopez. Nothing less expected from you." He says with a smile. "You can sit down now." I do as he say and notice that everyone is still looking at me. Kurt's staring at me as if I've done something wrong. Internally, I was jumping up and down while screaming at the top of my lungs, glad that my first recitation went well. I'm just so fucking ecstatic! It was only when Howell cleared his throat that they all turn to look at him again.

"That was amazing, Santana!" Kurt whispers to me and I just mouth a "Thanks" to him.

* * *

After a few moments, I felt a vibrating sensation from my bag. Oh, believe me. It's _not_ what you think it is.

I found out that it was coming from my phone and I glanced to see that I have a couple of missed calls from Quinn. I set my phone aside first to listen to his discussion and not long after, Howell dismissed the class but not before adding that he'll discuss the case thoroughly next meeting.

I pulled out my phone again from my bag and as soon as he left, I decided to call Quinn to see what was up. Surprisingly, she answered on the first ring.

"Fabgay, something wrong? I was in class and you'll never believe who my professor..." I was cut off by Quinn before I could finish.

"S, uhmm.. You need to go home. Like, right now." She says in a whisper.

"Huh? Why? I'm just so happy right now and..." I immediately stopped mid-sentence when I heard a faint voice of a woman on the other line. "Wait, who was that?" I asked.

"Is that Santana?" The faint voice on the other line became clearer and I froze because I immediately knew who it was. There was a bit of shuffling and I closed my eyes to brace myself for the onslaught. _Oh boy, this won't be pretty._

"Mija?" The woman said.

"Uhmm.. Ola mami." I probably look like someone who just saw a ghost as I turn to look at Kurt who was fixing his stuff and curious about the phone call.

"Don't 'ola mami' me, mija. You come home now at once. Is that understood?" My mother says sternly and I'm so sure that I elicited a facial expression that looks like I'm about to be hit on the face and I hear Kurt chuckling beside me.

"Si, mami." I reply as I pack up my things while holding my phone with my right shoulder.

"Good. Quinn and I are cooking here, we're preparing paella. We won't save some for you if you take too long." She says and I chuckle at this before we said our goodbyes.

"Mothers." Kurt says as he smirks.

"Oh, yeah." I laugh while I shake my head. I've just finished packing up my stuff when I turned to look at Kurt.

"Listen, I'm sorry but I have to go now but..." He didn't let me finish and just nodded.

"Yep, I heard. Go now before your mom hunts you down here herself." He says while shooing me away.

"Thanks! I'll see you later!" I shout as I'm walking away. "Call me and don't forget to bring your friends!" I added.

Before I went out the room, I turn to glance at the class once again and saw that Brittany's packing her things. I look at her for a second before she looked up and saw me. I blushed once again before I was reminded of my mother's presence back home and didn't have the time to engage in a staring contest as much as I'd love to.

What? It's a legit excuse.

_But what's up with that? I can be all smug during a suicidal recitation and then be this beat up puppy as soon as I see Brittany? I'm an English major but I have no words for this one._

So, I went out the building as fast as I could and almost ran on the way to my car and when I got in, I immediately started it. I reminded myself about going out later with Kurt, Quinn, and whoever else was invited before I got distracted a bit by thoughts of a certain blonde. I was immediately pulled out of my thoughts when I saw that my mother is calling me again. I revved the engine a few times and drove as fast as I could out of Harvard.

* * *

**Xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

**\- Brittany POV -**

"Who was that girl, Cedes?" I asked Mercedes, pertaining to the Latina who made everyone stare in awe awhile ago. Our class under Tanaka just finished and we're now eating in this sandwich shop inside campus munching on subs and cookies.

"I don't know, girl. From the looks of it though, she's got every guy under her spell." Mercedes says absent-mindedly while taking a bite of her food.

"She's so pretty." I tell no one in particular and immediately regretted it. Mercedes must think I'm a weirdo now or something but instead, she chuckles.

"Oh, I see you have a little crush on someone." She said as she nudged me and triumphantly smirks while wiggling her eyebrows.

"W-what? O-of course n-not" I tell her and the blush creeps into my face. I try to hide it by eating my sub and stuffing it on my face.

"Sure." She added with a smirk again.

I sigh at this. There's no getting out of the situation.

I was previously studying some cases for Criminal Law while blasting Ellie Goulding through my earphones from Spotify. I was even singing along to it when I suddenly noticed that my low voice was the only one I could hear. Before I could react though, Mercedes repeatedly tapped me on my shoulder. I removed my earphones and turned to look at her questioningly. She didn't say anything, she was just silently staring at something in front of us with shock on her face. I looked around to see that everyone's silent as well and notice that their attention is steadily caught by something in front, too. _That's a first._I scrunch my face up in confusion at this and decided to see for myself what was up. Lo and behold, I've never seen something so beautiful in my life.

An olive-skinned, brunette, Latina woman wearing a black dress and a white blazer is standing in front while looking at the entire class. I think she was looking for someone or something.

I was in awe of this. I dropped everything I was doing and just stare at her like everyone else. She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

After a second or two, she started walking towards a seat in the back. _Look, I know it's rude to stare and all but I just can't help it!_ I followed her until she took a seat a few feet behind us before I tried to turn back my attention to whatever it was I was reading. _I really tried._

"Hot damn, we look like crap compared to her. I mean, look at those shoes!" Mercedes jests and I just give a lazy smile because not long after I was looking back at the mystery woman again. _Yes, with my head doing a 360. I know, I know. I've got no game._

I wasn't expecting it but turns out that she was looking at me first and holy cow! Those chocolate orbs are so hypnotizing! We stared at each other for a little while before she continued her conversation with Kurt looking a little absent-minded. I continued to stare at her for a second or two. _Yes, I'm pretty convinced that I'm turning into a creep now._ And after a moment, she looked back at me again!

I thought that this was a sign, so I decided to be brave and smile at her. Just a tiny smile. You know that kind of smile that says "Hey there, pretty lady. I think you're gorgeous but I'm too shy to do anything about it. So, here I am trying to send you a signal that I think you're hot." Yeah, that kind of smile. _Is there such a thing or I just made that up as an excuse? I don't even know if she's gay. Gosh, I'm hopeless._

Anyway, instead of returning back my smile, she surprised me by appearing shocked. Or was it disgust? I couldn't tell. She looked at me like I was about to kill her or something. Oh, God. I think I did something wrong. _Must be the creep thing._ I haven't even talked to her and I already blew my chance. Not like I was going to, _yet_. But who am I kidding? I won't do that. Look at her, she's just so darn pretty to even notice me!

So, there she is, looking down at something. I must have scared her, so I just went back to read my book or more like look at it in shame.

"Britt." Mercedes calls my attention and I turn to look back at her. "Can I take a picture of you? The 'rents want to see how I'm doing so far and if I made friends already. I'm taking one of Kurt as well later." She says and I nod at this with a smile.

"How about we take one together?" I suggest and she agrees with me. We then take a picture and looked at it to see that it turned out nice.

"I'll do a monster pose next time when you're not looking." I imitate a scary dinosaur of some sort while raising my hands up in the air as we laugh together.

I decided to glance back at the Latina one last time and almost instantly our eyes locked together again. I debated whether I should do something but I just decided to wing it and smile one last time. However, she almost gave the same reaction when I smiled at her the first time and I really am convinced now that I crept her out. I sigh. _I'm so not good at this._

It was then that Tanaka entered the classroom and saved me from my staring contest with the Latina. We all turn our attention to him as I place my right hand in between my forehead and eyes then shamelessly shake my head and groan.

_Oh, boy. You ain't cut out for this stuff, Pierce._

* * *

We finished our food in silence and went on our way to Langdell Hall for our Contracts class. We entered the room to see that it's almost full. I immediately see Kurt sitting beside the Latina and I wave at him to catch his attention while I can see that the mystery woman is staring at me and again, has the same shocked/disgusted facial expression. _What am I doing wrong? I just feel like a sad panda now._ After a moment, he sees us and waves back. We walk towards our seats but stopped near Kurt's row.

"Let's go talk to Kurt first." Mercedes says and I shake my head.

"Uhmm.. I'm still not confident enough for today's class. I'll just read a little first." I make up an excuse because I can't really face the mystery woman now, can I? She clearly doesn't want to interact with me, more so be around me.

"Oh, okay. I'll just follow." Mercedes says as she sets out to approach them.

I quickly smile and wave towards Kurt before I went up to take a seat. I was scared of looking or interacting with the Latina for fear that she'll scream at me or something because of what happened earlier but it didn't stop me from taking a quick glance at her before I take a seat.

After a little while of reading, I turned my attention to Mercedes who came back looking giddy.

"It turns out that Kurt was with her during the break. No worries about that." I smile at this and thankful that he didn't have to be alone.

"I also told him that he can come with us anytime." I nod.

"And.." I'm anticipating what she's about to say while she takes a seat beside me. "I've found out that the Latina's mom is a really famous lawyer, like seriously, Britt. But I won't tell you what the girl's name is, you have to find out for yourself." She tells me with a smirk and I involuntarily pout at this. I just really want to know who she is, you know. We settle in a comfortable silence until "Mr. Hot Stuff" as Mercedes calls him, enters the room.

Time flew by fast and here I am, sitting in Howell's class listening to his incessant flirting with another student when he called the woman clouding my thoughts. _What? I was just curious who she was. I'd like to think that's the only reason._

"Lopez?" He says while looking at a piece of paper in his hand.

I was a little bored until I realized that the name he called was that of the Latina who's now standing in the middle of the room just a few feet in front of us. I get a good view of her, I mean_ this, s_ince she's almost directly in front of me and only a couple of rows away. Olive-skinned, brown eyes, and a body to die for. She didn't look nervous or anything, she just looked at Howell, as if waiting for him to say something. _And yes, I checked her out and her nice ass. Happy?_

"Santana. How nice of you to join us. So, you decided to show up to class now, huh?" He says with a smirk.

Santana. That's a beautiful name.

Now I know why I haven't seen her before. She wasn't present in class until today. Santana didn't flinch at the professor's remark. Instead, she gave a sly smile that faded after a second or so. I thought I even saw an eye rolling. She was still standing and looking at him indifferently, as if waiting for another remark.

"How is your mother, Ms. Lopez?" Howell asks her.

"Fine." She says bluntly, removing the smirk off of the professor's face. I think I saw Howell become surprised at the Latina's confidence. He cleared his throat then.

"Alright. So, would you kindly give us the facts for Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Company? I knew you were gone for the past week but I'm expecting..." She cuts her off immediately and I was caught a bit off-guard by her confidence.

"Sir, in this case, the Carbolic Smoke Ball Company..." Santana answered and went into discussing the case with Howell for half an hour or so.

"Good job, Ms. Lopez. Nothing less expected from you." He says with a smirk. "You can sit down now." He added. We just stared at her for a complete minute. This woman just hit it out of the park. Like, just wow.

I'm truly speechless by this. I know the case but I can't for the love of God discussed it like she did. There was merely any pause or correction, she just went for it. I think I understood more of what she said about that case than how Howell discussed it for the past meeting. Everyone was just amazed.

"Beautiful, sexy, AND smart. How about that, Britt?" Mercedes whispers to me with a smile on her face. I don't reply to her. I just sat there blushing like an idiot.

Our class went smooth sailing and before we knew it, it was over for the day. As I pack my stuff, I glance in front of me to see that the Latina was one of the first few at the door and was even looking at me but immediately removed her stare. I think she even turned red. _I didn't know Hispanic people can blush._ Before I can react, I felt someone tapping on my shoulder to see that it was Kurt.

"Hey Kurt! What's up?" I turn to look at him and asked happily as I grab my backpack and sling it on my back.

"Well, I wanted to ask if you girls are up for some drinks later at this bar just around campus?" Kurt asked.

"Uhmm.. I don't know. We're kinda swa-" I wasn't able to finish before Mercedes cut in.

"Count us in! I'm dying for some alcohol in my system!" Mercedes exclaims.

"But I di-" I was cut by Kurt this time. "Awesome! It'll just be us, 2 other girls in this block, and Tina and Mike. You remember Chang and Chang, right?" He asks._ I don't know why but whenever I hear that phrase, I just have this overwhelming urge to laugh out loud._ We just nod.

"Great! So, if you have roommates, please bring them. The more the merrier!" He tells us excitedly.

"I have one, her name's Rachel." I tell him with hesitation.

"Cool! It's gonna be a great night out then! Let's go get lunch!" He screams to no one in particular and went towards the door. I then glare at Mercedes.

"It's just our first week and we don't have class until the day after tomorrow. It's a Monday, too! No one likes a Monday, Britt. Alcohol makes everything slightly better. And who knows when we can hang out again." She says matter of factly while making a pleading face.

I usually just turn down these kinds of invitations but I have to agree with Mercedes. So, I admit defeat and just go for it. "Yeah, you're right." I say with an exasperated sigh. "My roommate's gonna flip when she hears this." I laugh and Mercedes squeals like a kid as Kurt gestures for us to leave.

* * *

I just came home from having lunch with Kurt and Mercedes in the cafeteria back at campus and literally walked through the door of our apartment just now. I hear a faint voice coming from the other bedroom.

"Britt?" Rachel yells.

I knocked on her door and entered her bedroom to see that she was studying on her bed.

"Hey, Rach." I walked over to where she was sitting and settled beside her.

"How's class?" She asks.

"It was fine. There was this new girl in class." I say with a sigh as I massage my feet.

"Oh, is she pretty?"

"The most beautiful." I reply with a chuckle.

"Then, why are you all sad?"

"I think I creeped her out a little. So, yeah." I mumble disappointedly and she just stares at me.

"I'm sure she'll find you fascinating once you girls start talking and who knows? Maybe you and her..." She made a gesture of holding up her index and middle finger and combining them together repeatedly. We stared at each other for about five seconds before my eyes widened with surprise at this.

"Oh my god, Rachel! I haven't even met the girl and you're already talking about nasty stuff with her!" I exclaim and her eyes widen with surprise, as well.

"What? No, Britt! Not that way! I meant that in a nice way, by getting close with her!" Rachel blurted.

"Oh, that's nice, alright.. I'm sure you were talking about something else entirely!" I uttered and we laughed so hard until we were almost crying.

We then caught up for some time about her and she told me about this new friend that she has. Quinn Fabray. Harvard Psychology. Rachel spent 5 minutes continuously talking about this girl and I'm convinced that she likes her.

Yes, Rachel's gay. Well, _New Gay_, as she likes to call it. She just came out a few months ago when she realized that her attraction for women has always been stronger than that of men. Her own words. She's currently exploring the scary facets of the gay world right now, as she likes to put it.

"By the way, a block mate of mine, Kurt, invited us to go out tonight and grab a few drinks with some other people. I told him we'd come." I say as I stood up and motion to go to my room.

"Really?" Rachel uttered with shock and excitement. I can tell she's genuinely surprised.

"Yeah, why? I asked her nonchalantly.

"Nothing, I'm just not used to hearing that kind of statement from you." _I told you, I don't hang out that much. Like, not at all._

"Yeah. Once in a blue moon stuff like this won't hurt." I say as I yawn at the same time. "I think I'm just going to sleep for a while and study later. I've had a tiring day." I added while she just nods and smiles.

"I really meant that in a nice way!" She yells from her bedroom, pertaining to the scenario a while ago. I chuckle at this as I go to my bedroom.

I change into some comfortable clothes and fell asleep as soon as my body touches the bed.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

I've arrived in our apartment from school in record time. I just parked my car and now jogging to get through the door as fast as I could. As I enter, I heard a faint laughter. "Mami?" I call out to make my presence known. "Over here, Santana!" I hear my mother yelling from the dining area and I hastily walked my ass towards them.

As soon as I went to where they were, I saw that my mom and Quinn are sitting opposite next to each other while laughing at something and I smile at this transpiring event in front of me.

My mom, being the amazing woman that she is, looked like she's never aged a day. Still as beautiful as ever, she's wearing a simple white blouse and her favorite Armani slacks. I mean, she barely has any wrinkles! That's after giving birth and being one of the most sought after lawyers for a quarter of a century now. Did I mention that she was raising me with my dad while she was working to make a name for herself back then? That's how awesome she is.

"Mija! We were starting to wonder what happened to you! What took you so long?" My mom exclaims and I just chuckle at this.

"I missed you too, Mom." Then when I was close enough, I gave her a kiss on the head and I see her grin. I proceeded to go wash my hands because my mom still treats me like a kid sometimes. _Don't they all?_ When I came back, I saw that a plate reserved for me was already filled and so as theirs. I grin at this since I'm really hungry.

We ate in silence for the next few minutes and halfway through it, my mom spoke up.

"So, I've heard about your little vacation." She mentions this with a raised eyebrow.

I choke a little and turn to look at Quinn for help while she just widens her eyes in panic. _Traitor_, I mouth to her._ She went all lawyer at me_, she mouths back. I think about it for a moment and I can affirm that this is a legit excuse. _This is why we love each other._

"It was only for a while and classes just barely started then, Mami." I mumble silently to no one and I see Quinn looking down at nothing.

"Mija, graduate school is another level. More so if you're in law school. Imagine the horror when I called Carl to know that you haven't attended your first week of classes. This isn't undergrad anymore where you can just take off and still get Honors in every subject." She says with a stern voice and I hold my head down when I suddenly see Quinn standing up.

"Uhmm.. Excuse me. I think I should leave-" She wasn't able to finish her sentence until my mom deliberately cut her without even looking at her direction.

"Sit down, Quinn." And she immediately sits down again while looking like a beaten puppy.

"You two should take responsibility more seriously. Both of you will be future lawyers and this is how you act? I'm disappointed at you, Santana. Quinn, you're involved in this." My mom adds and Quinn and I just look at each other with shame.

"I ought to punish you both for what happened." She continues with a scrunch in her face that within seconds, turned into a softer expression. "However, I've heard from Carl about what happened in class today." My mom smirks at me and I turn to look at her questionably with curiosity.

"I heard you knocked it out of the park, Mija. Is that true?" I chuckled at this. They were both looking at me and waiting for my answer. I prolong it a little and drink my water slowly before looking back at them.

"Oh, please mami." I smirk. "That's an understatement." Then I winked at her.

* * *

The three of us bonded all afternoon. Just talking about random stuff, shopped a little, and even had our nails done. She filled us in with the news back in New York and how my dad and Quinn's parents will be the one visiting next very soon. I don't see my mom and dad as often as I did when I started college. Thankfully, Quinn's been there for me through it all. My parents have been so grateful for her and as you can see, she treats the blonde like how she does with her own daughter.

We didn't notice the time and next thing we knew, it was already night time. Which means that my mom has to fly back to New York already.

"You girls take care of yourselves, alright?" Quinn and I nod at this. We agreed that we'd both take her to the airport but I totally forgot about going out with Kurt and the others because of my mom's sudden appearance. It wasn't until he called to ask me where we'll meet up that I was reminded of it. Luckily for me, Quinn saw my dilemma and just volunteered to stay behind and meet up with them herself later. I told Kurt about this and he agreed immediately. My mother and Quinn hugged it out and say their goodbyes.

My mom and I just got in the back of the car while the driver pulled out as we went on our way to the airport. We were almost at our destination when I see Quinn calling me, I answer after a few rings.

"Hey, Q." I say as soon as I answer the call.

"Hey, S. I'm already here in Memorial Hall and there are a couple of people around. So, would you mind telling me what Kurt and his friends look like?"

"Well, just watch out for anyone who looks gay." I tell her.

There was a sudden silence on the other line.

"Satan, I look at myself in the mirror everyday. I see you almost everyday. I'm very well aware what gay looks like but you gotta give me something more to work with here." She huffed.

"Alright, alright!" I tell her and my mother is briefly amused at my conversation with Quinn. "Kurt's a little pale looking and kinda fashionably dress for Harvard. Then he should be with two Asians, and three other girls if I can remember clearly." I added.

There's a bit of shuffling on the other line before Quinn spoke up again. "Oh, I think I see someone who fits the description." Finally speaking up. "Wait, is that Rachel?" Quinn says rhetorically. "Oh, it is her! And she's with someone." She adds and I think, I'm not assuming, that I hear a slight jealousy in her tone. _Oh, you'll never hear the end of it later, Fabgay_. I tell myself as I think of a hundred ways to tease her about it.

"No, it's her roommate if I'm not mistaken. Blonde, tall, and pretty. Yeah, she fits the description perfectly. And how about that, they're with Kurt and another woman. Looks like they're joining us." She tells me and I was taken aback by this. Blonde, tall, and pretty._ It couldn't be, could it?_

What? I wasn't pertaining to_ her._ I mean, there are a lot of blonde, tall, and pretty girls out there. Like a lot, really.

Yeah, whatever. I'm talking about Brittany, alright. I try to act cool and brush it off though.

"Look Q, I really am amused with the way you're talking to yourself right now and how you're doing this little voiceover thing but it's kinda creeping me out a little, you know? It's too mental and Sybil for me, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about." I say while acting out a face that looks like I'm weighing my options about something. "Just a tad little Psycho." I add and I hear my mom chuckling beside me, clearly amused with my conversation with Quinn.

"Yeah, yeah! Whatever, S. Get your ass over here as soon as you can." Then she hangs up. I smirk a little after our conversation and look at my mom to see that she's raising an eyebrow. I give her a fake smile and she shakes her head smiling.

We arrived in the airport after a little while and see that the private jet is ready to go for her. _What? Perks of being a badass lawyer._

"Mija." My mom speaks up and looks at me while the chauffeur loads her stuff into the jet. "You and Quinn take care of each other well, alright? Have fun later and don't forget to study well. Always remember that your Papi and I love you very much." She tells me while rubbing me on both sides of my shoulder.

"Si, Mami. You take care of yourself and Papi, as well. He'll be lost without you." I reply and we both grin.

"I agree, Mija. He's probably crying alone while watching our favorite telenovela." We both laughed out loud. "We'll see you and Quinn on Thanksgiving and the Holidays, okay?" I nod and the chauffeur signals us that everything is set. So, we hugged one last time before she boards her flight.

"Goodbye, Mija. I'll see you soon!" She shouts from the door of the plane. "You too, Mami!" I yell back at her and wave. I stayed for a couple more seconds to see that the plane is ready for take off. So, I proceeded to walk to the car to see that the driver is already holding the door open for me. I enter the car and see just in time for the plane to take off while I follow it with my eyes and smile. The driver takes his place on the driver seat then.

I glance at my phone to see that there aren't any messages or phone calls from my friends. _Bitches must be having fun._ Suddenly, a message popped out on my screen.

**From Mami**: "I forgot to tell both of you that I stuffed your fridge with groceries. Love, Mom." I have my grin up to my ears right now. _I mean, who doesn't like free groceries?_

"Where to, Ms. Lopez?" He asks me while looking through the rear view mirror. So, I take a quick glance at my watch and turn to look at him. "Let's go home." I say as he nods then pulls out of the strip.

* * *

It's been almost an hour and a half and we're only almost nearing our apartment because some schmuck had apparently bumped his car into the SUV in front of him which in turn, caused a little traffic jam. Apparently, my mother's driver who's a plump looking man of Indian descent in his 40's and has been with our family for years saw this as an opportunity to tell me new stories about New York and some random celebrity gossips which surprised me. It was fascinating for a bit until this shitty jam became too much for me to bear. For all that had happened today,_ I just wants to gets my drinks on._

"Are we there yet?" I asked the driver impatiently.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Lopez but it's just too traffic." He replies sympathetically.

"No shit, Captain Obvious." I tell him while rolling my eyes. _Don't worry, he's so used to this_. "Go bump some cars so we can get through." I added while waving my hand. Then he just stared at me and laughed out loud while I just continue to look at him. After three seconds of laughing, he looked at me through the rear view mirror to see that I was still sporting a serious face.

Seconds went by..

"Oh, you were serious about that." He mutters rhetorically.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Lopez. I still have my dog Chichi back home to take care of. Who would care for her like I do if I die?" He added and I just throw my hands up in the air then place my right hand on my forehead and groan.

You know, this has been a really long day for me. _Really._ In between my mini-heart attacks during class and _not,_ I'm just ready to gang up on somebody and beat the shit out of them. So, I take a deep breath, grab my stuff and pull out a few hundred bills from my wallet before I turn back to Gergerpal.

Yes people, that is _his real name._ I know, I know. I practically laughed on his face when I first met him. _What? It's really funny._ We're cool now though. I mean, I got grounded for that, so I think that was enough repentance. I just call him "Pal" now, which works awesomely for us both.

"Hey Pal, I think I'm gonna walk from here. Will you be okay?" I asked him.

"Of course, Ms. Lopez. Go and run like the wind!" I look at him weirdly and just decide to let it go.

"Thanks Pal." I tell him with a smile. "Go buy your wife and kids something nice." I added as I give him the hundreds from my hand.

"Oh no, Santana. I can't accept this! This is too much!" He exclaims when he sees me handing it to him.

"No, I insist." I chuckle as I hand it over completely to him and open the door of the car. "Have a safe flight back!" I shout as I shut the door and walk through the traffic and to the sidewalk back to our apartment.

* * *

After 15 minutes or so of walking, I arrive in our apartment and quickly stripped off my clothes so I can take a quick shower before following and meeting the others. I just finished drying my hair when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Heyyaa, Sssss. Wheeerrr urrrr yuuu?" Quinn slurs out the words and I know that she's drunk as hell already.

"Q, I thought we were going to pace ourselves?" I say with a small laugh.

"You giit here now, you giiitt here." She says and I hear a loud laugh from someone on the other line. They must all be drunk by now.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just putting on clothes and will be on my way in a little while." I reply as I put on a simple blue dress, jacket, and flat shoes. I then hear a click sound and the next thing I knew, I got cut off._Bitch._

I put on a little makeup and fix my hair before I grab my keys and go to my parking spot. I see that Quinn's Beetle isn't anywhere to be found, so I assumed that even if she took hers to Harvard, she'd probably be too thrashed to drive. Hence, I decided to take mine and rushed to get in the car. I send a quick text message to Quinn and Kurt telling them that I'm on my way. I pulled out of the garage and after 10 minutes, I've arrived in school and parked near Memorial Hall. I turn off my engine and set off to enter the building as fast I could until I reached the underground cellar where a semi-hidden bar called Cambridge Queen's Head is located. I enter the place and immediately smell pub food and alcohol.

_Alright, losers, let's get this party started!_

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

"So, who will be there later?" Rachel asks me while looking at herself in our large mirror near the door.

"He told me that it'll just be the Changs, Mercedes, us, and two other girls." I told her with a shrug while reading my book by the couch.

"Hmm.. Any idea who might those girls be?" She asks as she sits beside me.

"Nope." I reply and pop the word.

"Where are we going again?"

"It's this pub in school, like an underground bar of some sort in Memorial Hall where all the grad students usually go for drinks." I say nonchalantly and she nods.

"Ooh.. Sounds like fun!" She goes giddy like a little schoolgirl.

"Yeah but I'll only stay for a while then come home immediately to study." I say as I write something I've just read on my notebook.

"Britt..." Rachel trails. "Take a break. You've been studying non-stop since we've arrived here. I'm sure everybody knows how awesome you are already. Let's try to have fun, alright? We're making friends and that's good! It's just for tonight then you can go back to studying again tomorrow." She adds and gives me a comforting smile.

I processed this for a bit before closing my book and setting them aside. "You're right, Rach. Stay put, I'll just change my clothes." I tell her and I see excitement in her eyes as she claps and give me a hug. I went to my bedroom and changed into some comfortable pants, a hoodie that nicely fits me, and flats. I just let my hair flow and look at myself in the mirror once last time before grabbing my wallet and coming out of my room.

"Looking good, Britt." Rachel compliments me as she glances me up and down.

"Wait, did you just check me out?" I smirk while wiggling my eyebrows as I look at her with amusement.

"What? No, of course not! I was just complimenting you." She says with wide eyes.

"Uh-huh. Sure." I tell her with a wink while still smirking. "Maybe you just want to..." I raised my hand then mash my middle and index finger repeatedly like she did awhile ago when she profusely blushed and gaped in horror while I just laugh out loud.

"Come on." I say as soon as my laughter died down and drape my arms over her shoulders as I gesture to the door while grabbing the keys to our apartment in the table beside it. "Let's go explore the scary gay world together, New Gay." I added and we emitted a laugh. I opened the door for her then we started walking to Harvard to meet Kurt and the others.

* * *

**Xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

**\- Brittany POV -**

We've arrived in school after 10mins or so to see that there are a couple of people around Memorial Hall. As we were nearing the building, I immediately see Kurt and the others talking.

"There they are." I tell Rachel as I point to our group and she grins at this.

We approached them and it was Mercedes who sees us first and waves "Hey, Britt!"

"Hey guys!" I reply with a grin.

"Hi Brittany, I believe we haven't met yet. I'm Tina and this is Mike, my fiancé." The Asian girl says while clinging to the other Asian and I smile as I held out my hand for them to shake.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you both." I say as they shake my hand. "This is my roommate, Rachel. Rachel, these are my block mates." I gesture for everyone and they smile and wave at her.

"Hey girl, I'm Mercedes." She motions to herself. "This is Kurt, Tina and Mike." As she gestures for each one of them. Rachel replied by hugging them by pairs and I can see a little shock on their faces. "It's so nice to meet you people. We're gonna have fun!" She says excitedly and at first there was some awkward silence but basing on their faces, they find my roommate's mood amusing so they all laugh at this.

After a second or so, I see a woman approach us just behind Kurt. She's a little smaller than me with long blonde hair but nonetheless pretty. Are all girls in this school as pretty as her and Santana? Just, holy cow!

"Quinn?!" Rachel exclaims beside me and we all turn to look at her.

"Rachel!" The blonde woman replies and we then turn our heads to look at her now. _You know for a moment this kinda feels like a scene from a movie._

"You know each other?" Tina asks them both and I can see that they were both nodding their heads.

"Yeah, we're block mates." This Quinn girl replies. _Oh, Quinn Fabray._ The one Rachel has a crush on. I look at Rachel to see that she's grinning like a happy kid now. _New Gay has impeccable taste, I must say. She done good._

"Quinn. Santana's roommate, right?" Kurt asks her and I immediately froze at the name. I instantly remembered that Kurt was talking about two other girls joining us, so he must be pertaining to Quinn and Santana which makes sense. I did a quick self-check out and closed my eyes while I let out a groan. Out of all the days that I'm gonna be meeting or hanging out with Santana for the first time, I chose to wear this simple outfit. I mean, I didn't know that I would but this is really something else. _Fudge. I'm on a roll with impressions today._

"Yeah, you must be Kurt." She says matter-of-factly and they proceeded to the necessary introduction.

"Hey, you okay?" Rachel asks me worriedly. Apparently, I was staring down at the floor like I'm having a panic attack which I think I'm about to have. "I'm okay, don't worry." I tell her with a smile.

"So, where's Santana?" Mercedes asks Quinn and I went a little closer to them to semi-hear the conversation. Hey, if I'm gonna be a little creep, might as well be sneaky.

"She'll be running a little late. Her mom went for a surprise visit." She tells us with a smile and they all nod. I may be imagining some things but I'm sure I saw her glance at Rachel a bit and smile at each other. _Ooh.. You go, girl._ I do a sigh of relief upon hearing that she'll be late because if she was right behind Quinn, I would have had a heart attack. The nervousness that I'm feeling right now is worse than what I feel during class. I swear, Santana would be the death of me.

"So, let's go get some drinks? I'm thirsty." Quinn says with a smirk and we all agree but not before she turns to Rachel and the latter blushes at this. Oh God, I think I'm gonna barf. We went inside the building and a little while later, we enter the bar.

* * *

We're now seated at a long table in the far right corner of the pub and our beers, wine, and wings have just been served. The place feels homey and looks rustic with its wooden floors and lighting. There are only a few people around maybe because it's a Monday but it works perfectly for us since we can just talk and chill.

"So, how's it going for your block?" Quinn asks as she takes a sip of her beer.

"Oh, girl. It's crazy in ours! Our crim law professor is batshit cray!" Mercedes cries out and we all laugh at this.

"He's like the spawn of something. Seriously." Kurt adds into it.

"I think he didn't have the best childhood." Mike tells us and we laugh.

"How about your block?" Tina asks Quinn and Rachel.

"They're alright, I guess. Strict but nice." Quinn replies while looking to Rachel for support.

"Yeah. They're funny too, but old. I think our oldest professor is 70. He falls asleep every now and then whenever he sits in front and we're just left to stare at each other until someone startles him to wake up." Rachel adds as she takes a sip of her wine and we all laugh hysterically at this and drink some more.

"We have a hot professor, he's so dreamy!" Mercedes exclaims.

"He's a looker, alright." Tina adds and earns an eyebrow raise from Mike but not before she cuddles up to him and they chuckle. _How cute._

"He's alright." I say nonchalantly and take a sip of my wine. I look up to see that all my block mates are looking at me. "What?" I ask them.

"That's coming from the gay girl. That only half counts!" Kurt cries out.

"Hey, I can appreciate beauty of all kinds, you know." I tell them defensively feigning hurt and we all laugh again.

"Let's cheers to that!" Mercedes exclaims and we all do so. As I drink my wine, I can see from the corner of my eye that Quinn is staring at me. Like hawk eyes kind of staring. _Santana and her are definitely friends._ So, I turn to look at her and we have a little standoff for about a second or two then she gives me a small smile before drinking her beer and talking to Rachel. Huh.

We all went to drink and talk for the next hour and a half, exchanging stories about our classes and other block mates. Kurt and Rachel went on to have a long conversation about their love for theatre while the others talked some more about other stuff. I must say, hanging out with them is kinda fun. They're all easy going and fun to be with. It must be the alcohol but we're getting rowdy and are laughing non-stop about the smallest of things. I'll admit that I'm a little dizzy and drunk now. I don't really drink that much, so my tolerance is kind of low and given that I'm on my 3rd glass. Or was it 4th? I'm definitely getting to my limit.

"Can ayyyy tasteyyy your beer, Quinnnyyy?" Rachel slurs out and Quinn nods at this. I can see that they're kinda getting handsy. Eww.. Not in a hate kind of way though but more like you've-been-my-bestfriend-since-we-were-kids-and-seeing-you-do-PDA-is-weird kind of way.

"Rachel and Quinn are out of it. Maybe we should take them home." Mercedes cries out and looks to Mike, our designated driver for support.

"Yeah, I think we should." He adds.

"What?! It's only 11! It's too early!" Rachel exclaims and Tina and her both giggle hysterically. Nothing like happy drunks.

"You're too Asian! That's why you have early curfews!" Quinn angrily says.

"Wait. We have to wait for Santana. She's on her way. She just texted me." Kurt cries out. At this, my eyes widen instantly in panic and nervousness. Oh my god! She's on her way. I don't know if I should feel this way but I just do whenever she's around. I grab my wine and drink all of it in one go then grab Rachel's and drink hers as well then called the waiter's attention again for a refill. _Woah. Limit reached._

"Woah girl! You gotta slow down or else you'll end up like Rachel over here." Mercedes says as she gestures towards Rachel who's dancing over to the chill music like no one's watching. I may be drunk but I thought I saw her do the lambada to a non-existent pole while Quinn is cheering her on like a kid on Christmas Day.

"I'm alright, Cedes." I say while staring at something on the floor and waving my hand.

"Britttyyy! Lezzz party!" Rachel cries out then grabs my hand and tries to make me stand up.

"Uh.. Yeah." I'm holding my forehead now because I'm really getting dizzy. I try to stand up so I can go and wash my face in the restroom. As soon as I get up though, I immediately felt dizzier and try to hold on to the table while still clutching my head. I try to walk but things were just getting blurred.

"Oh boy, she's going down." Someone exclaims. I don't know who because the next thing I knew, everything went blank.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

I hastily tried to find Quinn and the others. There weren't much patrons around so I immediately see them and Kurt waving at me. "Santana, over here." He exclaims. I walk my ass off to where they were located but not before seeing a flash of blonde being carried by some muscular guy.

Hold the fucking phone. Is that Chang? I'm not sure though.

I turned my head to see the woman was wearing a hoodie and fast asleep. For someone like her, I'd say that she's rocking that hoodie, if only I could see her face before she was carried out.

Reminds me of my college days when everyone's thrashed. Ha! Good 'ol days.

"Hey guys!" I tell no one in particular and everyone smiles and waves at me. By everyone, I mean, Kurt, Quinn, who looks very drunk, Lady Chang, and some weird girl who's grinning and waving like a maniac at me.

"Hey, Santana! Glad you can finally join us." Kurt says as he mentions for me to sit beside Quinn who I can see is rapping like a weirdo while the girl beside her is providing the beat. _No shit._

"Yeah, just caught a little traffic." I tell him as I call the waiter to order myself a beer and some wings while I remove my jacket and place it on my chair. I finished ordering when I turn my attention back to them. "So, what did I miss?" I ask them with a grin on my face.

"Well, someone passed out. You see this bottle? Brittany drank everything." Kurt cried out.

My brain lagged for a moment or two. Brittany? As in Brittany, the girl I've been thinking about, Brittany?

Wait. No. I didn't say that. Just Brittany.

"Who?" I replied absent-mindedly.

"Brittany. Brittany Pierce. You know, our block mate?" Kurt smirks at me.

I blush at his all-knowing smirk but I try to disregard it. "Wow. She passed out?" I widen my eyes at this. Who passes out when they're drinking? I see at my left that the small girl flirting with Quinn is doing the tango by herself. _What the actual fuck?_

"Yeah, she's not a big drinker. She tried to stand up but just passed out mumbling stuff. Mike and Mercedes are getting the car so Britt can rest. "The waiter gives me my beer and I take a gulp of it. Damn. So good.

"Is she okay?" Yes, I'm worried, okay? Someone passed out, so it's kinda important. No, it's not because of Brittany. If this funny looking girl flirting with Quinn passed out, I'd care too. Yeah, I would. Well, no. I really wouldn't care and I'll probably just continue to drink my beer. Before Kurt tried to answer though, I take it back. "I mean, yeah. She'll be fine." I say non-chalantly and Kurt laughs at me. _You will have your day, Hummel._

"How about these two?" I motion to Quinn and the other girl who both look like they're going to jump on each other any second. Disgusting, really. _Just. I can't even._

"They're going as well. Mercedes is getting Quinn's car then Mike will drive them all back to their places separately then the two will just take a cab back." I nod hesitantly at this.

"Oh by the way, you remember Tina, right?" As he gestures to Tina just across me and we give each other a nod. "And this is Rachel, Brittany's roommate." He motions to the small girl who's staring me like the fucking demonic child in The Omen then suddenly grins from ear to ear. _What the hell?_

"Oh wow, yuuuurr preeettii!" Rachel shouts. I just look at her awkwardly while the others chuckle.

We continued chatting for a minute or two, mostly just getting to know each other. I try to keep tabs on Quinn who's not-so-subtly flirting with Rachel. It's disgusting to look at but whatever, I just try to look away. Suddenly, my phone started going off. I look at it to see that it's an unfamiliar number. "Excuse me, I have to take this." I tell them and they just nod. I go out the bar and went to find a quiet corner to answer the call. I just settled going outside near where students are secretly smoking something.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Santana!" The voice of a woman on the other line said and I can't recall who's voice it was when the said caller magically picked up on my dilemma. "Amy. From English 45 class?" She adds with a little bitchy tone and I can't seem to recall who she is but I just pretend to.

"Oh yeah, Amy. What's up? Look, I'm kinda in the middle of something, so maybe cut to the chase?" I try to remain cool about it even though I just want to hang up right this second.

"Alright." She replies. "I'm horny. Wanna hook up?" This Amy girl adds nonchalantly and I was taken aback by her bluntness. I think about it for a second before I replied. _Almost replied, actually._ Someone cut me off by calling and I look at it to see that it's Quinn.

"Hey, Ana? Can you hold on for a second? Someone's calling me."

"It's Amy. But yeah, like go ahead."

I then answered Quinn's call.

"Q?"

"S! Wiiii almoossst hoome." Quinn sloppily slurs out the words.

"What? I just went out about five minutes ago." I reply with confusion.

"Nooo! In Wacheyyy's place." Quinn replies. I think she said Rachel and disturbing thoughts immediately invade my mind that I try to shake off.

"Eww.. Q. Please no." Then I heard a bit of shuffling.

"Santana?" I recognize that it's Mercedes. "Sorry we weren't able to wait for you. We're already here in Rachel and Britt's place then we'll go to your place to drop off Quinn." She adds and I let out a sigh.

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. They're just disgustingly inseparable." I then hear a faint voice on the other line. "Mikeeyyy! Nice abss!" Rachel cries out.

"Oh God, I think she's about to molest Mike. Look, I've got to go. I'll text you later." She adds and immediately hung up. I almost put away my phone but not before I remembered about the other call.

"Hey, Abby! Sorry about that, you still there?"

"It's Amy!" She shouts over the phone and I had to pull it away for some distance.

"So, uhmm.. About the thing? Sure. I just have something to take care of something for an hour."

"Don't take too long." Then she hung up and almost immediately, I receive a text giving me an address.

I don't know why but it kinda feels wrong? Maybe it's the alcohol or something. I mean, I haven't even drank half of the beer but there's this funny feeling in my stomach. _Believe me, it's not something nasty._ I take a breath first before going back to the pub.

I got back to Kurt and Tina chatting about wedding stuff. I decided to let them be and just drink and eat first. I was halfway to my wings and have just been given another beer when they finished.

"So, Santana, are you dating anyone right now?" Tina asks me while taking a sip of her drink.

"Nope. Single." I uttered while gesturing to myself using my thumb and drinking my beer at the same time.

"Well, our block mates would be cheering for that. If only there's someone hot enough." She cries out.

"Well, first, I'm gay." I then place my beer on the table. "And second, there really aren't any panty droppers in our block, so far. The girls are making up for it though." I tell them with a smirk.

"Are you pertaining to yourself or some blonde?" Kurt gives me a big smile with his arms crossed and Tina's looking at us curiously.

"W-what? Of course myself." I tell him unconvincingly while looking away. _I will so kill you tomorrow, Lady Hummel._

"Uh-huh. Of course." He mumbles before taking a sip of wine.

"Wait, are you talking about Brittany?" Tina asks him with a surprised face. I glare at Kurt and before he gets to answer though Boy Chang and Mercedes arrives at our table. You've no idea how relieved I am by this. Just then, Lady Chang forgets about our conversation like it didn't occur.

"Hi, I'm Mike." Boy Chang looks at me and smiles. "Santana." I reply and they both sit with us.

"So, what happened?" Kurt asks and they all turn to listen to the two. I was listening too but you know, subtly. _Really subtle._

"Well, let me start off by saying that I don't want to do that again. I can barely get Rachel and Quinn to stop eating each other's face. I got scratched by Quinn when we grabbed Rachel away from her." She points out to a scratch mark on her arms. "If ever this happens again, I won't be the one doing the helping thing. Uh-uh. Hell no!" Mercedes then finishes her beer in one go and calls for another one while we all laugh.

"We dropped off Brittany and Rachel first, they were so out of it. Rachel latched on to me like a leech. I was carrying Britt in my arms and she was holding on to my thighs mumbling about white chocolate. She almost bit me when Mercedes tried to remove her from my body. So, Mercedes took care of Britt and I helped Rachel." Boy Chang tells us and we all laugh at this big time. "Then we dropped Quinn before we grabbed a cab back. By the way, you have a nice place" Mike adds while looking at me.

"Thanks." I nod. "Is she okay?" I ask worriedly and they all turn to look at me. _Uh-oh._

"Who?" Mercedes asks innocently and I was taken aback by this. I think I even blushed. I don't even know if they know about my little crush. _And yes, I said crush._ I_'m in trouble._

"Uh..." I stutter because I don't know how to answer this.

"Oh, Quinn! Yeah, she was snoring as soon as we dropped her off." Mercedes quips non-chalantly. I take a sigh of relief and go back to my beer and wings.

* * *

We all went to drink for the next hour. Talking, drinking, and joking nonstop. We even talked about Howell's face when I was reciting a while ago. Yeah, yeah. They're awesome, alright. I was having so much fun that I didn't notice the time and only a missed call from Annie reminded me of where I need to go. Mercedes must have seen my dilemma because it was her who first spoke up.

"I think we've had enough for today. We still have to study tomorrow. So, let's call it a night?" She asks no one in particular and everyone agrees. I can see that everyone's a bit drunk except for Mike and I. We all walked towards the parking area and I proceeded to accompany them to Mike's car since they're all carpooling with him. We said our goodbyes and even promised to sit next to each other tomorrow. _Yes, we're now that clingy._ I watched them drive away and walked to my car that wasn't far from his.

I got in my car, started it, and locked the doors immediately. I pulled out my phone to send Quinn a text that I won't be coming home tonight then reminded her that I placed a bottle of Aspirin and a bottle of water in her nightstand just before I went to follow them here. Yeah, yeah. I'm such an amazing friend. I also sent a text Ann, _or was it Addy?_ That I was on my way.

I pulled out of the parking area and drove to the address she provided. I got there in about 10 minutes since there wasn't any traffic anymore and parked just in front of her building. I checked my make up one last time before I got out of my car, entered the place, and not long after I found myself in front of the door.

The sinking feeling in my stomach is present once again and I was having doubts if I should knock or just go home. This is the first time it's happened to me, so it's kinda weird. I let out a sigh and knocked on her door. Seconds after, a blonde chick who's a little taller than me gestures for me to come in and almost immediately jumped me. I always feel confident whenever I try to hook up with someone but this time, kissing this random woman felt just wrong. Instead of focusing on whatever this girl is doing to me, I found myself thinking of Brittany and her smile. _Oh no. Feelings are bad. They just complicate everything._

So, I open my eyes and look at Andie. _Oh, wait. It's Amy!_ Yeah, I remember this blonde chick now. I look at her while she's undressing me and I just try to focus on what we were doing.

Yeah, she's blonde. Reminds me of a certain someone. Close enough but nowhere near.

* * *

I wake up to find Amy latching on to me with her mouth open. Nothing like a turn on, huh? I found my phone to see that it's almost 9am. So, I slowly tried to get her hold off me which was kinda hard since the chick has a fucking death grip. I eventually got out of bed and put on all my clothes as fast as I can while grabbing all of my belongings. I slowly went out the door with my back towards the living room and shutting it closed before I turned to see two girls who must be her roommates eating in the kitchen counter, a middle age couple dressed formally and a boy in the dining table. All staring at me.

_Holy shit._

The man dropped his spoon and the woman was gasping in horror while the kid was staring at me. At my boobs, actually. The two girls sneakily went back to their rooms while carrying cereal bowls and I was left to stare at the folks in the dining room while I do a quick once-over on myself to see that I look like a mess, as in someone who just had sex last night. So, instead of being stuck in this awkward situation, I bravely spoke out.

"So, what brings you here?" _Really? That's the best I fucking came up with?_

They all stayed silent. The man was still glaring at me and the woman looks like she's about to cry while the kid is still staring at my boobs.

Then suddenly the door behind me opens and Amy comes out wearing nothing but an oversized shirt. "Mom? Dad?" _You've got to be fucking kidding me._

I took this as my getaway moment so I briskly walked to the door. "Ah.. Well, have a good day!" I yelled as I hear some shouting behind me as I got out of their apartment.

I hurried to my car and pulled out immediately. I went around the corner and stopped when the traffic light turned red. As soon as I hit the brakes, my phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Sssshhh! Don't fucking shout, S." Quinn huffed. _Hangover alert._

"Good morning to you, too." I tell her with a chuckle.

"Whatever. Can you get me coffee on your way home?"

"Uhmm.. Yeah. Sure. I'm on my home, actually."

"Good. Thanks." Then she hung up.

I proceeded to turn at this little coffee shop in Harvard Square to get our usual with a few breakfast items and arrived home in a little while.

"I come home bearing food!" I shout a little louder and smirk when I hear a groan coming from the dining area. I walked towards her and placed everything I bought on the table.

"You look like shit." I tell her as I take out everything from the bag. I place her food and coffee in front of her and she almost immediately takes a sip of it but makes a bad face upon burning her tongue.

"Fuck you." Quinn replies and drinks more of her coffee.

"I'm sure you'd love to." I then drink my coffee and laugh at her shocked expression.

"Whatever. Thanks for this and the aspirin." I nod and we proceed to eat our breakfast in silence for a while.

"So, who's the unlucky girl?" Quinn speaks out first halfway to our food.

"Remember Amy the sorority chick from the Sigma Chi party?" She thinks about it for a second then replies. "Oh, the screamer?"

"Well, that actually makes sense now." We chuckle while I'm holding my ear and rubbing my ear lobes. "What was the last thing you remember?" I ask her.

"Hmm.. Aside from making out with Rachel, I think it was Brittany mumbling something in the car." She replies.

"Eww.. Please no." I say with a disgusted face. "What did she say?" I lean in a little closer.

"Just random stuff." Then a sudden silence took over. I didn't realize that I was still looking at Quinn and waiting for her to say something else about Brittany. It must have been a complete minute but when she looked up from taking another sip of her coffee, the blonde looked at me weirdly before sporting a shocked face with her mouth open.

"Oh my god! S, you like her!" She shouted while pointing a finger at me.

"I d-do n-not!" I cried out and I can feel the red creeping into my face.

"Fuck you, you're blushing!" Then she stands up and proceeds to laugh out loud.

"You know what? This conversation is over! I'm going back to school to study!" I tell her as I pack up our food.

"Santana Lopez is crushing on someone." Quinn smirks. "I get it though. She's really pretty." She added.

"Whatever, Q. I'm taking a shower!" I shout with my back towards her and went to my room to take a shower.

I arrived in school after an hour of chatting up with Quinn and went to the library to study. So, after studying Crim and Contracts for 4 straight hours, I called it a day. I went for a walk around campus until I decided to stop and sit under one of the trees to rest and take in my surroundings. Fall in Harvard is beautiful. The trees all turn into a pretty shade of orange and the breeze is chilly but not that cold. I look around to see that there are several students who are doing the same thing as I am. Some are playing football, some sitting down with their friends and doing a picnic.

I lie down with my back leaning towards the tree and just people-watched. Not in a creepy way though. When I slowly felt that I'm getting sleepy, I decided to transfer behind the tree so no one would see me. Seeing that it's a nice day, I gave in and closed my eyes.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

"Oh God, my head hurts." I groan out loud. I'm so dizzy and I feel that my head's being hammered into two. I try to stand up but only became more dizzy at this. So, I got up slowly, _very slowly_, and went on to fetch myself some Aspirin and drink 2 glasses of water that I finished quickly while I sit in our dining area and tried not to move as much as possible. I look at the clock to see that it's already 10am then suddenly my phone rang. I groan again and went to fetch my phone from the bedroom and lie down in my bed while closing my eyes.

"Hello?"

"Brittany! Honey! How are you?" My mother cries out and my eyes immediately open.

"Mom! I'm doing fine here. How are you and dad? Brianna? I miss all of you so bad!" I say while I pushed myself up to sit down.

"They're doing fine, dear. We miss you, too! How's Harvard?"

"Oh, it's wonderful here. The people here are nice and really smart. The load is heavy but bearable. Law school is hard though, Mom." I let out a sigh.

"Honey, if there's someone who can do it, it's you. We believe in you." My mom cries out in her signature mother tone. "How's Rachel?"

"She's doing fine. We went out last night and she's still sleeping."

"You went out last night?" I hear a little shock and I nod like an idiot to no one.

"We did, Mom. We're making friends here."

"That's wonderful, dear! Have you met any girl yet?" My mother asks and I blush a little.

"Well, there's this girl in class.." I trail my statement before I heard a little shuffling on the other line. "Brittany, your father wants to talk to you." After a few seconds, someone speaks up.

"My baby! How are you?" My father exclaims happily.

"I'm doing fine, Dad. How's everything?"

"You know, same old. So, about this girl you were saying? Is she smart?" He turns a bit serious at this.

"Intelligent."

"Pretty?"

"Stunning." I tell him while grinning.

"Kind?"

"Well, uh.. I haven't met her yet." I utter a bit shyly.

"Oh, Britty! I taught you fine, go approach her and everything will just fall into place." My father says with a chuckle.

"I will, Dad." I chuckle as well.

"Are you enjoying Cambridge?"

"I am. It's fun here."

"That's good, sweetheart. Do you need money?"

I sigh at this. "No dad, I'm doing fine here. There's still some left from what you gave me."

"Are you sure?" He asks sternly.

"Yes, dad." I reply. "Okay then." Then there was shuffling. "Sweetheart, I'm afraid we have to go now." My father tells me sadly.

"It's okay, dad. I understand. Take care always. I love you guys very much." I replied with a heavy heart.

"Back at you, sweetie." My father tells me before hanging up and I lie back down in my bed again. I really do miss my family but I won't be able to see them until Thanksgiving. I sigh at this and decided to distract myself by studying today for my classes tomorrow. I went out of my room to fetch some Aspirin and a glass of a water for Rachel then proceeded to put it on her nightstand. My headache's not as bad as it was earlier, so I just opted to take a shower to clear my head.

* * *

I've been staying in the library for about 5 hours now and my head's already starting to hurt. I'm staying in a semi-hidden corner since if my passing out because of drinking too much wine is any indication of being the butt of jokes today, might as well try to avoid them today when I'm not a little cranky and a little embarrassed about the whole situation. _I mean, who passes out like that?_

I look around to see that there are a few students studying with stacks of books in front of them. I must say that I'm impressed with the Harvard Law library. The walls and high ceilings are covered in white and there are huge columns to separate sections of the library. There are also countless columns of books wherever you look, as well as never ending wooden tables and chairs to choose if you want to study. There's even a little discussion area for group activities.

When I see that the coast is clear, meaning that I don't see any of my friends, I hastily put all my books inside the backpack and tie my hair in a ponytail then briskly walked out of the building. Instead of going home straight away though, I decided to walk around campus and check out the place to get a breather. All of the trees are turning a bright shade of orange and it's just exciting for me since I've never expected Harvard to be this pretty. I settled to stay on a little corner under a tree to sit and eat my sandwich like what the other students are doing.

Suddenly, I heard rustling then a snore.

I looked around to see nothing that could have caused that noise. Oh my god! Could it be a ghost? Then the same noise repeated again and I stood up almost immediately to see nothing. So, I decided to walk around and saw that the sound was coming from behind the tree where I was sitting.

A figure covered in leaves was lying asleep. From what I can see, it's a woman. A sexy one at that, I might add.

No, I'm not being a pervert. I'm just saying stuff based on how I see them.

I see that her face is covered in leaves and I immediately kneel down and try to remove it for fear that she'll suffocate or something. It's a legitimate excuse for my curiosity.

When most of the leaves were gone, I found myself catching my breath and stumbling backwards which caused me to fall.

It's Santana. Santana Lopez.

As if that wasn't enough, she woke up and turned to look at me smiling! I just found myself staring at her but after a second or two, her smile turned into a face of horror and shock! Again, like the look she gave me the first time I smiled at her. She scrambled her stuff and quickly tried to get up and dust herself of the dirt. I do a quick look at her and see that she's only wearing simple clothes, not even make up. Pants, some flat shoes, and a Harvard hoodie. Still, she looks really pretty.

I lagged a little while checking her out but I also tried to get up hastily and dust myself, too. I turn to look at her and see that she's glaring at me, I'm not sure. So, I try to do the bravest thing I've ever done in my entire life for a girl.

"Uhmm.. Hi. I'm Brittany." I tell her while I hold out my hand. It took her a couple of seconds and I almost retracted my hand before she raised hers and took mine.

"Santana."

We're staring at each other now with complete silence before I noticed that we haven't let go of each other's hand. So, I take my hand back and I immediately regretted the loss of contact. I look at her to see that her face is scrunched up while looking at me. Did I do something wrong?

"Something wrong?" I asked while I look at my clothes to see if there's anything on it and looked back at her to see that she still has the same scrunched up and glaring expression. I don't know about you but I'm really getting fed up and a little angry with the funny looks she's giving me as well as the silence between us.

"Are you stalking me?"

What?! I was so taken aback by her statement that my irritation of her from staring too much at me was set aside and replaced by anger over her assuming that I'm following her or something. I am not!

"Excuse me?" I tell her and she squints her eyes at me then shock ensues.

"I'm not stalking you or anything. Please don't think too highly of yourself. And don't you know that it's extremely rude to stare at someone like that?" I tell her with a scrunched up face and a raised eyebrow while having my arms crossed. That must have gotten her attention because she's now sporting a surprised face.

"No! I didn't mean to. I'm sor-" I cut her off before she could continue because my blood is boiling now of anger.

"No! You've been looking at me like that since yesterday and I've been nothing but nice to you. I even smiled at you then just because of that simple act you're assuming that I'm obsessed with and stalking you? Wow, you must be a special kind of jerk!" I tell her while she's still sporting the same reaction but after a few seconds, she looked like she's going to punch me or something.

"Excuse me?! I said I'm sorry, didn't I?! You can't talk to me like that!" She tells me as I grabbed my stuff from the floor before looking back at her.

"You're excused. And I just did, didn't I?" I tell her and I turn my back at her and start to walk home.

"No, you're the one who's rude with you turning your back on me while I'm still talking to you! No one talks to me like that!" She shouts from behind me and I turned to look at her one last time.

"Why? Did I stutter?" I asked her rhetorically with my eyebrow raised and I see that her mouth is open. I turned on my heels again and grab my backpack tightly as I start to walk home still sporting an angry face.

Intelligent, check. Stunning, check. Kind, nope. _Bitch, double check._

* * *

**Xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**\- Santana POV -**

"What the fuck?" Quinn shouts from the couch. I shut the door real hard because I'm still fucking angry of what happened with Brittany a while ago back in campus.

"Argh!" I scream at the top of my lungs as I walk to the kitchen and prop my elbows on the kitchen counter while my hands are covering my face. I hear Quinn approach me and I look up to see that she took a seat in the stool just in front of me while clutching a glass of water.

"Should I dare ask?" She looks at me with a smirk and I give out an exasperated sigh before answering.

"I ran into Brittany." I mumbled while I went to get myself a bottle of beer from our fridge. I went back to my place behind the counter in front of Quinn while chugging down my beer and see that she's wearing a surprised face with both of her eyebrows raised. She then motions me to go on with my story.

I stare at her first then spoke up. "I was sleeping in Harvard Yard."

"Really? Where there?" Quinn asks with a scrunched up face.

"Just there. Behind a tree."

"Like with something under you?"

"No, just on the ground." I tell her while waving my hand.

"Like on the ground with all the leaves? She asks while squinting.

"Yes, I got covered in leaves as well."

"Was it comfy?"

"Actually, yeah. It was nice and-" I cut off myself and throw my hands up in the air. "Look, that's not the point here, okay?" I give out a sigh again and drink my beer first.

"I was sleeping ninja mode behind the tree and then for some reason, she woke me up and shit happened. I thought I was dreaming about her- uh.. something!" I stare at Quinn to see any sign if she caught up with my slip but there was nothing.

Actually, I was _really_ dreaming about Brittany. I wake up to see that she was in front of me and still thinking that it was a dream, I think I smiled at her. I saw her looking at me like she's examining me and that's when I knew that it's fucking reality already. I quickly got up and dusted myself off the leaves and when I turned to look at her, I had no words because she's just so freaking beautiful! She had her hair in a ponytail and was only wearing a Princeton hoodie, sweatpants, and some Vans. _Simple but elegant._

I was so occupied with staring at her that I didn't know that she was holding out her hand and even introduced herself. Her face turned into a semi-pout and her hand was slowly retracting when I grabbed it and introduced myself. Now, I'm not kidding you but I felt a little static between us. Like legit electricity. It must be the weather but I swear, I felt something. We must have lagged for about a minute or two before she let go of my hand. I wanted to hold on to her much longer, I wasn't ready to let her go just yet.

I just, argh! I hate the fact that she has this effect on me, I have no idea why I feel this way when she's around me. I'm trying to concentrate on thinking why is that so and I'm desperately trying to disregard the feeling in my stomach again. I think my face even shows it. My eyebrows are scrunched together and I'm biting my lip so hard I think it's swelling. Oh, I can't recall but I'm still probably looking at her.

Again, my head's finding it hard to process everything that's happening right now, like all the stuff she's doing or saying registers with delay. Fuck, she's just so beautiful! I think she said something again with her face all scrunched up but the next thing I knew she was glaring at me and looked like she was about to pounce on me. I try to remedy the situation but lo and behold, I do something stupid.

"Are you stalking me?"

Santana Marie Lopez! What the fucking hell is wrong with you?! The plan was to be nice and assure her that it's not her fault. Or maybe even apologize but what did you do? You made it freaking worse! I look at her and I think that I'm gonna be murdered tonight, oh my gosh!

"Excuse me?" She's squinting her eyes at me in disbelief and I look around to see that there aren't much people than it was an hour ago. Who would know where I'll get buried if she kills me? Oh my god! Oh my god!

"I'm not stalking you or anything. Please don't think too highly of yourself. And don't you know that it's extremely rude to stare at someone like that?" Brittany huffed.

I was taken aback by this. This girl just snapped at me and I don't even know why. You know how the brain works in the most amazing of ways? Well, this is one. Instead of going all war freak on her, like I always do, I did something I've never done before.

I apologized.

"No! I didn't mean to. I'm so-" Then Brittany cut me off.

_What the hell?_

"No! You've been looking at me like that since yesterday and I've been nothing but nice to you. I even smiled at you and just because of that simple act you're assuming that I'm obsessed with and stalking you? Wow, you must be a special kind of jerk!" She told me and my mouth was left hanging open.

_No fucking way._

Oh no, you just fucking didn't do that. _That's hot._ _No! I mean, what the fuck?!_ No one has ever told me that before.

This is the part where I turn into a big, green monster who destroys everything that it sees. No, seriously. This is actually a superhero story, or some shit like that.

Just fucking kidding. I'm really angry right now though. Shit's about to hit the fan.

"Excuse me?! I said I'm sorry, didn't I?! You can't talk to me like that!"

"You're excused. And I just did, didn't I?" She replied almost instantly.

Holy shit. This girl is just. _Wow._ No one in my entire life, even my mother, has talked to me this way before._ Ever._ They usually just cower in fear of my wrath. This girl, however, is now confidently turning her back on me and also starting to walk away.

"No, you're the one who's rude with you turning your back on me! No one talks to me like that!" I tell her like it is. I didn't do anything wrong, she just went all Nicki Minaj on me for some reason. Or maybe it's because my brain kept lagging whenever she's around that I kinda stare at her a little too long and I find my sense of speech nowhere to be found plus the fact that I acted like an asshole then accused her of stalking me. _Yeah, maybe that's it. I mean, it is rude. Wait, no! It's her fault, not mine!_

So, just when I thought that I've won our argument, she surprises me by stopping on her tracks and turning to look back at me with the deadliest glare anyone has ever given me. It's almost serial killer-esque. I think I got a bit scared. Well, just a tiny, teeny, little bit.

"Why? Did I stutter?"

_Fuck._

I. Uhmm.. Just. Uhmm.. Yeah. Uh..

Fuck this shit. I think I look like an idiot right now because my mouth is open, eyes are wide of shock, and I just look stupid. _Really._ This girl has gone where no one has ever dared gone before. I don't know if I should be mad or impressed, maybe a little bit of both. _Crap, she's even beautiful when she's angry._ _Yeah, yeah. Fine, I said it._ Next thing I knew though, she's walking away from me clutching her backpack tightly. I didn't do anything, I just stood there for a couple of minutes until I had enough of staring at her as she walked away. There's just something about this girl that is just so different.

"S!"

I was pulled out of my thoughts and I see Quinn waving her hands in front of me trying to get my attention.

"Huh?" I muttered still confused.

"You were doing a monologue or something. Like a voiceover while you were talking to yourself about what happened awhile ago." Quinn laughs at this while I'm still confused about what happened.

"What do you mean?"

"You were blurting out random stuff that went down in campus with Brittany. Like how you think she's hot even if she's angry or how you tried to apologized to her. I mean, you apologized? Seriously, Satan. You really got it bad for the girl then." She smirks at me.

Oh no, I must have thought out loud. No! This is fucking embarrassing. I try to save myself and just act cool.

"What the fuck, Q?! Why didn't you stop me?! You know what, this conversation is over!" I shout and I see her laughing like crazy while I'm just so embarrassed. _So much for keeping it cool._

"Hey, it was pretty amusing, so why bother to stop you from humiliating yourself? However, it's kinda creepy. So, I think I'm gonna lock my door from now on." As she continues to chuckle while I'm still glaring at her. "But really, S. I think you did something wrong to make her act like that. Brittany's the shy and introverted type. You should apologize again. Not to mention that she's gay..." Quinn trails off while looking and smirking at me.

"She's gay?" My eyes widen because I just assumed that she was straight. If I'd known I would've.. I don't know, _just something!_ So, that's a lesson for y'all, never assume.

"With flying colors." Quinn mutters while she motions to stand from the stool.

I think about it for a moment. I still didn't do anything wrong, so why the hell would I apologize? But yeah, I shouted at her and I must have done something to irritate her. _You know what? Fine, I will_. Not just because she's gay, I'm really trying to make friends with people now. Or something.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I'll try." I wave my hands in disregard and Quinn chuckles again as she walks back to the couch.

"Santana Lopez, going all soft. Now that's something I've never seen before." She smirks and raises her left eyebrow at me. "Looks like you've met your match."

I roll my eyes at her and think about it for a second. "We'll see about that." I then take a last swig from my beer.

* * *

Time flew fast and here I am walking to my Crim class. As I near Hauser Hall though, my heartbeat is getting erratic. Maybe it's something to do about Brittany since I'll get to see her today. And yeah, I promised to apologize again, as well. I even wore my nice red dress for today so at least she'll look at me or just notice my presence.

I enter the class to see that Tanaka isn't there yet. So, I proceed to look around for a seat when I see hands waving at me from the middle row. I squint my eyes to see that it's Mercedes and the others sitting together. The sitting together really was serious, after all. It occurred to me though that the only person who wasn't waving and smiling at me was Brittany. She glanced only once for a second and then went back to reading her book. _Huh. This is gonna be a challenge._ So, I went to walk towards them and disregard the several people who were checking me out on my way up. When I reached our row, the only vacant seat was the one I had hoped not to get.

You guessed it right. Beside Brittany.

I look around to see that there weren't any other vacant in our row. A nerdy guy was on the other side sitting beside Boy Chang. So, if I sit in this chair, it's gonna go like this: Me, Brittany, Mercedes, Kurt, Lady Chang, Boy Chang, and the nerdy kid. _No effing choice for me._

"Something wrong, Santana?" Lady Yang Chow asks me while everyone is looking at me, as well. Except Brittany who was still reading her book as if it's the most interesting thing. _Hello?! I look fucking hot and fabulous and I'm just in front of you! Yeah, whatever._

"Nope, I'm good." I put my stuff on the desk then take a seat. I glance to my right to see that they were all talking about something. I settle comfortably on my place and take out everything I need from this class. After I got set though, I found nothing to do. So, I just people-watched while I prop my head with my elbows.

Okay fine, I'm just trying to avoid talking to Brittany. I do want to apologize if it's the only reason she'll talk to me but I don't know how. I might be stalling but I'm trying to find the right way to do it. Or maybe I just don't want to be rejected. I do a quick glance at her and see that she's reading seriously. She's busy, so it's not a good time. _Alright, fine! Okay, I can do this shit. This ain't no hard thing to do_. _All of you have to do is say sorry._ I take a deep breath and clasp my hands together while still looking at some imaginary figure in front. _I got this, baby._

"So, are you going to apologize to me now?"

What the fuck?! No! _Fucking no!_ I immediately regretted it the moment the words left my mouth. I closed my eyes for a second and pursed my lips while I clenched both of my fists. _Goddamn it, Lopez! Shit! This was not the fucking plan._ It was supposed to be "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday." Not like this. Noooooo!

I looked at her and she's just... Oh my god, I think she's about to kill me! She looked up from her book and scrunched her eyebrows together to look at something non-existent in front before looking at me. She's glaring at me like I did a heinous crime or something. I'm scared now, really. I try to act cool though and just look at her while bracing myself for the incoming onslaught.

"What?" One. Simple. Word. She still has the same reaction but her attention is all on me as if waiting for an answer.

"I.. Uh... Yeah." Was all I could muster. _Oh boy, I'm so dead meat._ If looks could kill, I think I've died a hundred times now.

"You are such a fucking asshole." Brittany tells me and I'm taken aback by her words. I can tell that she doesn't swear that much, I think I might have pushed her a little too much. I don't know what to say. Nobody has ever called me that, not even Quinn. So, I just sport a shocked expression because I'm really surprised by her bluntness. I mean, she's not even scared of me. "I don't get why you're being such an awful bitch to me."

What the fucking hell?

First, she indirectly told me that I'm a bad person. Then second, she calls me a bitch. You just fucking didn't, Blondie. My shocked face has now turned into a glare because my blood is slowly boiling from anger._ I think she indirectly told me I was pretty, too. How about that? No, wait! She insulted me!_

"What the fuck did you just say?" I tell her and now we're facing each other. I can see that we're both wearing angry faces.

"You heard me. Do you want me to repeat it for you? Because I can go on all day." Holy shit. This girl is _something else._ For someone who looks like an angel, she packs on quite a few evil punches. Mercedes must have heard us because our whole row is looking at us and so do a few people near us. I think I even saw some dorky looking guy just behind our row giving five bucks to his seat mate. _The hell._ So, I try to calm down as to not cause a commotion.

"Look, Brittany. I don't get why you're mad, I didn't do anything to you. You're just overreacting." I tell her a little calmly.

She just chuckled at me and crossed her arms. "Is your ass jealous of the amount of shit that comes out of your mouth?"

Woah there. What the actual fuck?

If I wasn't shocked before, I really am now. So are our friends and a few people who all have their mouths open. I'm trying so hard to control my temper because I fucking swear, I might pass out of extremely high blood pressure.

"Don't talk to me like that!" Was all I could say. _Really, Santana?_ God, I'm so weak.

"I didn't do anything to you yet you keep on giving me glares that you're not supposed to give to people who are just being nice! You're always looking at me like I disgust you! What more, you accused me of stalking you! I thought you were dying because you were covered in leaves and this is how you think of me? I might have saved your life! That's not nice, Santana. Try to reverse our situation, how would you feel if I did that to you? It kinda hurts and you owe me an apology!" She tells me in a semi-whisper while leaning in. _Oh wow, those blue eyes are just so fucking beautiful._ Oh, and I've just been lectured by Brittany, people. I'm seriously amazed by her guts. I feel bad for her, too. I really fucked up this time.

"Look, fine. I take everything back if it's going to make you happy. I'm sorry." I tell her in a whisper while throwing my hands up in the air and her face softens a bit but she's still glaring at me, Like, all the anger just disappeared. _Wait, did I just apologize? No! This can't be happening._ I bite my lip hard again because this has never happened to me before. What is this girl doing to me?

Brittany just squints at me as if she's trying to examine me. She didn't do or say anything, she just went back to reading her book. I look at her for a minute longer, trying to guess what she's thinking. When I get nothing, I look around and see that the people eavesdropping near us all scattered in a hurry to get back to what they were doing. I even see that Mercedes is reading her book upside down.

Just then, Tanaka enters the room. I looked at Brittany one last time and when I decided that I'll get nothing out of her, I hesitantly turned my body and attention to the front.

"Okay. Before we start, I've noticed that all of you have been changing seats every meeting. It's a little confusing for me especially when I call for recitation. So, I decided to change things up which means that the seats that you're all occupying right now will be your permanent seats for the entire semester. Alright, kids?" Tanaka then grins like a maniac.

Oh no.

I lean back in my chair and close my eyes for a moment then elicit an exasperated sigh. I take a quick glance at Brittany and see that she's rubbing both of her temples with both hands while grinding her teeth together.

Shit. It's gonna be such a fun semester.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

I got home quickly after my not-so-nice encounter with Santana. I went directly to the kitchen to grab myself a glass of water and place my heavy backpack on the counter. I then hear shuffling coming from Rachel's bedroom and within a few seconds she comes out looking like a mess.

"Water. Please." Rachel cries out and I think that might have been the shortest thing she's ever told me. I chuckle and went to grab her a glass of water while she goes to sit on the couch and close her eyes while I settled beside her.

She quickly mumbled a "Thanks" as I watched her finish it down in almost 3 gulps before she turned to look at me. "What happened to you?"

I sigh and look down. "Nothing. I just ran into Santana."

Rachel just stares at me and I could tell she's waiting for me to continue. I sigh again and continued. "It just frustrates me that she loathes me when I didn't do anything wrong. I have no idea why, you know. I'm just being nice to her. Maybe it's because I'm gay." I tell her sadly.

"Wait, Santana Lopez?" I nod at her. "She's the one you have a crush on?" I look at her with confusion on my face.

"And you know her how?" I ask while raising my left eyebrow.

"I met her last night after you passed out, which by the way, you're so gonna be the butt of jokes tomorrow in class." She cries out while doing a few hand gestures. I put my right hand to my forehead and shake my head. _Damn it, I am so dead tomorrow._

"She's nice. So, there must be another reason why she does that when you're around." She tells me nonchalantly and it got me thinking. I mean, my mind lags for a little while whenever I see her but I don't know anything that I could have done to make her act that way.

"I don't know, Rach. I don't think I'll find out. It just wasn't a nice run-in."

"That bad, huh." I just nod.

"How about you? What happened after I slept?" I try to focus on her.

"Passed out, Britt. Passed out." Rachel corrects me and I just roll my eyes at her and motion for her to continue.

"Quinn and I kissed! She's just so wonderful, Britt! I think I like her!" Rachel mutters dreamily and I chuckle at her antics.

"That's great, Rach. So, are you going to ask her out?"

She thinks about it for a moment. "Yeah, I think I would. I'll try to be brave and ask her out tomorrow." I smile at this because that's how I know that she really likes Quinn.

"She's pretty with a good body, so that's a plus." I tell her with a wink and she blushes.

We went on to talk some more about her plans to ask out Quinn and some random stuff before I retreat to my room a little while later and try to sleep off my frustrations and anger about what happened earlier. It's been a long ass day and I just want to rest. I think a bit of my argument with Santana a while ago and I just can't shake off the feeling that even though I got mad at her, I still felt that there's a connection between us.

There's something special about the way we touched, looked, and interacted. Even if I was angry at her, I wanted nothing but to be closer to Santana. There's just this gravitational force pulling me close to her. I feel guilty about shouting at her, and it kept me thinking that maybe I over acted? It just offended me a little too much when she looked at me like that. I've dealt with homophobia big time in high school and I'm quite sensitive about glares and looks because that's a form of bullying and that's all they did back then. No one even talked to me except Rachel and Sam. But yes, I should apologize for the way I acted.

I tossed and turn for a couple more hours until sleep finally took over.

* * *

I've arrived in our Crim class a little earlier than usual to see that my friends are already there. When they saw me though, they cheered and clapped like kids while everyone else just stared at the commotion they were causing. I blushed and place both of my hands on my face while I smiled shyly at them. I then proceed to make my way up and put my stuff on the table.

"There's our girl!" Mercedes yaps.

"You went down with style, Britt." Mike utters and we all laugh.

"Sleeping Brittany." Kurt quips and we laugh harder.

"Alright, I got it guys! Thank you for the other night, I had fun while it lasted." I tell them and they're still laughing like crazy. "Just don't let me drink that much again, okay? It's not an experience I'd want to repeat again." I take out my book and materials for this class on the table in front of me. I look back at them to see that they were still staring at me and grins still plastered on their faces, so I roll my eyes and smile. "That is, if I'd get to remember." Then they all laugh.

We went on to do our own thing for the next few minutes. They chatted about something alone the lines of a study group while I just stayed silent and reviewed for our class. After a while though, I noticed that they were waving at someone. I glance up to see that it's Santana looking back at me, I try to ignore her and go back to reading. _I desperately tried to._

In a few seconds, I see her standing beside me while fidgeting. And after a moment she sits down in the seat next to me. I take a subtle peek at her to see that she looks extra hot in her red dress._ I mean, wow. She just looks so beautiful and sexy in it._

Oh boy, here we go. You have a plan, Pierce.

In the corner of my eye, I see her doing nothing. It's as if she's planning something, I think she even took a glance at me. I'm still focusing on reading something about felonies when actually I'm just using it as an excuse not to look at her. I'm just literally staring at my book. I do a quick peek again at her to see that she's still idle and I suppose that it's the perfect time for me to apologize to her about yesterday. So, I take a deep sigh and almost turned to look at her just in time for something else.

"So, are you going to apologize to me now?"

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

I don't swear often but when I do, it's really serious. I was supposed to apologize not two seconds ago and here she goes demanding me to do so. I turn to look at her and give her my death glare. I don't care if I kinda have a crush on her, this girl just pushed me to a boundary no one has ever dared to go before.

"What?" It was all I could say out of the hundred things that my mind is telling me to. _C'mon, Pierce!_

I was so furious at her and I think I made her mad as well. _This girl is unbelievable!_ I said some hurtful stuff that I never would have said to anyone because of the simple reason that it's mean. We proceed to bicker back and forth like an old married couple for the next few minutes. _Wait, I said old married couple. How cute!_ Anyway, what basically went down was me telling her that she's a jerk and a few witty comebacks that I never thought I had in my back pocket while she just sat there alternating between gaping in shock and trying to calm down. It's actually a little funny how she's even capable of those kinds of reactions. I didn't peg her to be the type.

I don't think that I'd ever admit this to anyone but when I leaned in to her, I was so hypnotized by her brown eyes that all I wanted was to kiss her. _Yes, I admit it, this is a bit of a serious crush._ The way she stared right into mine, I thought I was dreaming. All the anger I had before then almost disappeared.

Santana also apologized to me, I think that was the highlight of it all. She doesn't look like the type who does that often or ever. I looked at her one last time to see if she was lying or maybe that she wasn't sincere about it but I didn't see anything. I think she was telling the truth and that confused me more because it just doesn't match with her actions. I didn't say anything else because I don't know what to reply. I see her staring a little longer at me while I just look at my book pretending that I'm studying when all I want to do is stare back and kiss her.

Tanaka comes in a little while later and talks about some stuff regarding our seating arrangement and the only thing that registered while I'm busy trying to figure out what the hell is going on with me is that I'll be sitting beside Santana for the whole semester in this class. I'm not sure if I should be relieved or mad at this but I'm sure it's only either of that. I sigh and just hold both of my temples while I grind my teeth because it's gonna be a challenge for me and well, I'm screwed in more ways than one.

* * *

We went to our Contracts class peacefully. Like almost in complete silence. We grabbed a few snacks in between classes but Santana and I kept our distance. No one from our group dared to ask us anything about it, they just pretended that nothing happened and went on to have their own conversations while Santana and I tried to ignore each other but not without the occasional glances at one another.

We sat far apart in the room. I can see her taking a peek of me every now and then and only because I was doing the same thing. _How can I resist?_

"So, what happened?" Kurt asked beside me while still looking at Howell.

I looked at him for a moment then turn my attention back to our teacher. "Nothing. Just a run-in with Santana yesterday."

"I take it that it wasn't good?"

"Nope. Not at all." I say while looking down then give out a sigh.

"Maybe you just make her nervous." Still looking at Howell.

"Why is that?" I turn to look at him for a second and back to Mr. Hot Stuff again.

"It's just a hunch." He shrugs. "Maybe if you girls go and be nice to each other you'll see how it goes. She's really nice."

"We basically hate each other, Kurt. She can't even look at me straight in the eye. I think she hates gay people like me."

Then out of the blue, Kurt chuckles and smirks at me. "Oh, Britt. Believe me, she loves her gays and lesbians." He must've sense my confusion but before he can react, I replied a little surprised. "She's gay?"

"Practically spewing rainbows here and everywhere." He tells me and I'm left in shock. So, what really was the deal with this girl?_ But hey, it means that I got a tiny chance, right?_ Crap, we supposedly hate each other. So, I think it's the most impossible thing right now.

As the class was ending, I distinctly hear my phone go off and take it out to see a message from Rachel.

**From Rachel:** _Hey Britt! I'm on my way to class right now and there was a package left for you back home that I'm sure you're going to like :) Btw, I'll ask Quinn out when I get to school. Wish me luck! Xoxo_

I smile at this and reply quickly.

**To Rachel: **_Hmm.. I'm curious what that package is, can't wait to see it! Break a leg! :)_

When class ended, I said my goodbyes to everyone except Santana who I only exchanged a glance with before going on my way home. As soon as I opened the door to my apartment, I saw what Rachel meant about me liking it. I instantly grin like a kid upon seeing it.

It's a bicycle!

Well, not just any bike, it's my bike! It was the first thing I bought out of my own pocket back in my freshman year at Princeton. It also has a basket in front which works great since I can take Lord Tubbington on a ride whenever I want back home.

I see a note attached to it and I looked closely to see who wrote it.

_"Brittany, we know you're probably homesick. So, here's a little piece from home to you. We miss you and hope to see you soon! Love, Mom, Dad, and Brianna._

_P.S._

_Lord Tubbington, too. He sleeps in your bed every night and misses you badly."_

I smile at this because seeing my bike here with me lessens the sadness I feel from missing them. I caress it a bit to see if there are any damages. When I found none, I decided to spontaneously take it for a spin around town. So, I went down our apartment with the bike, put my bag in the basket in front, and just stroll around Harvard Square and the campus for almost an hour.

The fresh air and carefree feeling of just strolling around gave me the happiness I needed to reduce all the stress I've been experiencing. I don't own a car and only a bike because I once watched this segment on National Geographic about carbon footprints and believe me, it ain't pretty. So, this is me doing a little thing for Mother Earth.

I got back to the apartment after a little while and placed my bike in the parking allotted for it together with a few ones from our building. The bike arrived with my lock, so I had no worries about it. I went up and grabbed something to eat first before I decided to call my parents to thank them for sending my bike. After that, I decided to study for my class tomorrow and block out all thoughts about Santana. Which I eventually did, for the next few hours or so.

When I finally had cramps from sitting too much, I decided to go outside and continue reading somewhere else. So, I went out and strolled around Harvard Square again. I came across this small and homey coffee shop named Adam's just around the corner then parked my bike outside and proceed to enter the shop. There were only a few people inside, most of which were studying. I went to the counter to survey the menu and just settled on a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I take a look around the place while waiting for my order when my eyes immediately went to a sign which says "Wanted Part-time Barista."

"Interested?" A guy with a British accent who was making my order mutters.

"Huh?" I turn to look at him and he points to the sign I was staring at. I glance back at it and think for a bit before I replied. "Depends. Is it nice here?"

"Yeah, they just study all the time so it's fine." He tells me while still making my drink. "Do you have any experience?" He adds.

"Cool. Yeah, I do." I tell him as he gives me my order.

"Alright then. How about you try and see for yourself tomorrow if you'll like it here?" He looks at me and I have a hunch that this guy must be gay because of his eyebrows. _I mean, it's very nicely contoured._

"Yeah, I think I can do that."

"Good. Just swing by around in the afternoon and look for me. I'm Adam." He holds out his hand.

"Thanks. I'm Brittany." I shake his hand.

"Alright, Brittany. See you tomorrow." He smiled then went to entertain another customer while I take a seat and read some more.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

It's been such a long day for me and I thought that sleeping was the best solution to relieve myself of all the stress. I've been thinking about Brittany all day and I even thought of approaching her a few more times only to back down at the last moment because I got scared that she'll just pull the same act she did awhile ago. I refused to answer questions about it from Lady Chang and just kept my distance from everyone and stayed silent throughout the whole day. I didn't feel like socializing at all, I just feel something heavy in my chest. I think I was hurt by her rejection and words. I don't want to admit it, but yeah._I really got hurt by her actions._ It was the first time anyone has ever insulted and rejected me like that and it did sting a bit. I refused to come with them during lunch as well, I just went home immediately and lie on my bed to sleep all the bad things away.

I woke up to see that it's morning already. I even contemplated if I should go to class today but eventually, I got ready and just went to school. Time flew fast and the next thing I knew, our Contracts class had just ended and I just acted that nothing happened yesterday. There were the occasional glances between Brittany and I but I made sure not to look at her for more than a millisecond, which was extremely difficult seeing how those blue eyes could suck you into oblivion. I interacted with everyone, made jokes here and there, and pretended that nothing major happened. I mean, it really wasn't a big deal and it's also a new day. Time to move on and get over it, I'll just deal with Brittany another time.

I'm on my way to my car now after having lunch and some down time with Kurt and the others. Brittany was nowhere in sight, she just disappeared after we were dismissed. _What? I try to be observant every now and then._ My phone vibrates and I see Quinn calling.

"Q?"

"Hey, Satan. Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to my car. I'm done for the week. What's up?" I see my car that's only a few feet from me now.

"I'm here in our usual coffee place, can you come over here?"

"Yeah, sure." I get in my car and started it. "I'm on my way to Adam's."

* * *

**Xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you to HeYa-GLeeK12, you rock!**

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

After my stay at Adam's, I went to grab take-out for Rachel and I then decided to just continue studying in our apartment. I was trying to understand something about mala in se while studying in our dining area when I suddenly hear a sound.

"I admire your focus." Rachel mutters while chomping on something behind me.

"Holy cow!" I was startled by this and even dropped my stuff to the floor while looking back at her.

"Sorry, Britt." She cries out while giving a hearty laugh. "I went ahead." Motioning to the Chinese takeout I brought home for us. "I've been trying to call your attention for the last five minutes, I think I've told you about most of my day, as well. You look really serious with that." She sits down on the couch while still looking at me.

"Yeah. I have to." I reply while grabbing my share of the takeout. "I'm trying to make my own reviewer, some stuff are just hard to understand." I get my stuff on the floor and set them aside first.

"True." She nods and continues to murder the steamed chicken in her mouth.

"So, what's up?"

"Same same. I asked out Quinn." She tells me with a smile and I just look at her with raised eyebrows indicating for her to continue. "She said yes! We're going to dinner tomorrow night!" Rachel adds happily and I grin like a kid at this. We proceed to talk about her plans for tomorrow for a little while until the conversation shifted to me.

"So, how's your thing with Santana?"

"What thing?"

"You know, the thing?" She raises her chopsticks and eyebrows at me as if to raise a point and I just squint my eyes at her.

"Oh, the thing or the other thing?" I reply and she nods her head and goes back to her food.

"Just the thing."

"Alright, the thing. Wait, what?"

I'm so lost now. Yes, we are normal people. This is how we talk.

Rachel chuckles. "How are things with Santana?"

"Well, it's complicated. I really don't want to talk about it." I say while looking down at my food and giving a shy smile. I look at her to see that she's giving me a blank expression so I try to shift the focus on another topic. "I have this other thing tomorrow though. You know Adam's? The coffee shop near Darwin's?" I ask her and she thinks about it for a second before nodding.

"Well, Adam the owner is looking for a part-time barista. So, he asked me if I'd be interested to go for it, and I said yes." I tell her with a smile.

"But Britt, our load's already heavy enough, don't you think that having a job on the side is only going to be a burden on you?" I can tell by the way she expressed it that she's genuinely concerned for me.

"It's just what? 4-6 hours a day? And I'm just trying out tomorrow if it's a good fit. I mean, I worked full time back in New Jersey to pay for my bills plus it's not exactly cheap to live here in Cambridge. So, having a part-time job would help me."

Her shoulder slumped and she moves closer to touch my arms. "Brittany, we're in law school now. If you compare everything that went on back in Princeton, our life here in Harvard is really on a whole other level. You can't push yourself over the edge."

"I know, Rach but I need this. I don't have that much money and I need to do something to pay my bills."

"But Brittany, money is really no-" I knew what she was going to say so I just cut her off.

"Rachel, I want to be independent. I don't want to ask my parents for money or help from people anytime I need it. I mean, they're already busy as it is. I'm able and I can do stuff on my own, so this is me doing something for myself." I tell her and she gives a really deep sigh while looking at me then nods in understanding.

"Fine. You do know that I'm right here if you need help, right?" I only smile as a reply at her and we go back to eating and chatting some more before we separated and studied individually throughout the whole night.

* * *

The next day was more of the same of what happened yesterday. Time flew by fast enough that Contracts ended almost as quickly as it started. I reminded myself that I have to drop by Adam's to start my first day. So, I bid my goodbyes to each one of them, except Santana. We tried to ignore each other the whole day although she was so obvious whenever she tried to glance my way. Seriously, it was so cute. I think I smiled a bit at her antics.

Anywayyy..

Here I am walking towards the bicycle rack where I parked my bike. By the way, have I told you what it looks like? Well, it's a yellow Civia commuter bike with a custom made basket in front and a little rail thing in the back. I bought it back in Jersey a little less than a thousand bucks. Yeah, it's that expensive. I think I saved my over time money for a few months just so I can buy it. I'm just so attached to it, really. I mean, it's so comfortable that I can even wear a dress while riding it around town back in Princeton and at home. Just imagine, Lord Tubbington sitting like a boss in the basket in front and my sister sitting at the back while we just stroll and laugh all afternoon. It just represents home for me.

So, I unlock my bike and proceed to make my way to Adam's. When I arrived there, I enter to see that there aren't much people around yet as it was last night and that Adam was right about the studying thing. I can barely hear anyone speaking, everyone was reading something. I proceed to approach the counter and see Adam organizing stuff when he looks up to see me.

"Hey, Brittany!" Adam cries out with a smile and goes to move around the counter to approach me. I just grin at him and hold the handles of my backpack as I wait for him to move in front of me.

"I'm glad you're here." He mutters and clasps his hands together. "Alright. So, you said you had experience, right?" I nod at his question. "Have you used this brand before?" Motioning to the big machine beside the counter. I look at it more closely and see that this is exactly what the coffee shop I worked at back in Princeton used.

"Yeah. This is exactly what we used before."

"Good. I take it that you're familiar with the menu?" I looked up to my left and glance at the menu and see that I know how to make most of the drinks, save for just two or three items. And the food is almost the same as any other coffee shop.

"Yep, except for a few of them."

"Nice." He says clasping his hands together. "There won't be a rush for the next three hours so what do you say about me teaching you how we do it here and prepping for later?"

"That would be awesome." I told him and proceed to place my stuff at the back and get an apron. He went to teach me about how to run things in the coffee shop for the next hour which I managed to learn fast enough. Time went by fast and a stream of people are now getting through the door, so Adam and I brace ourselves for the rush. After some time and countless people getting their coffee fix, the shop turned quiet again and almost all the tables and seats are occupied by students studying. I must say that I like it here, it's not that hectic and some of them are pretty nice. I glanced at the clock to see that it's only a couple of minutes after three, so I reminded myself that I have to study for my Crim class on Monday since I haven't been called for recitation yet.

"Brittany, how are you liking it so far?" Adam asks me while getting a slice of chocolate cake for a customer.

"I like it here." I tell him while giving someone his change.

"Good. I was afraid you'd have to go. You're doing great for your first day, so far." He smiles and looks at me. "If you don't mind me asking though, what are you taking up?"

"Law. 1L."

"Ooh.. Must be hard, huh?"

"Killer." I tell him with a smile while shaking my head and we both chuckle.

"Well, I'm only going to need you for a couple of hours on some days. And you have to tell me when you're not available when I need you to come in. Acads go first." Adam tells me with a wink. I didn't look at him though, I think I stared at his eyebrows for a second or two before I was relieved of my daze. _I really need to ask tips from this guy._

"Cool. Thanks." I tell him while I get back to the register and entertain a new customer.

Fifteen minutes have passed or so and the rush has completely died down. I try to sit for a minute because my feet is aching from being on my feet for almost 2 hours. However, as soon as I sit down, I hear the chimes on the door go off which means that a customer just came in. I hesitantly stand up from my comfy position and get behind the counter when I suddenly saw a familiar face.

"Brittany?"

"Quinn! Hey, what's up?" I tell the blonde in front of me who's smiling while wearing a sundress with her hair in a ponytail and a sling bag on the side.

"I went here to study." She takes a quick glance around. "I didn't know you work here."

"I actually just started today." I smiled at her and proceed to ask for her order then went on to make it while we continue to chat.

"So, what's up? Where's Rachel?" I ask her while I glance to see that she immediately blush and grin at my roommate's name.

"Oh, I think she went home already." She replies a bit shyly. "We're.. Uh.. Having dinner later." She adds and blushes like crazy. I just nod and give an all-knowing tight-lipped smile at this and continue to make her coffee.

"I see." I tell her and put a cap on her drink then make my way towards the counter. "You kids go have a good time." I add with a wink and grin which she returned by smiling widely at me.

"Thanks, Brittany. I have to go now though." Quinn raises her book to make a point. "I guess I'll be seeing you a lot now." The blonde adds and we both chuckle.

"Yeah, see you later." I tell her and subsequently see that she took a seat at the corner of the shop.

I sigh and tend to the new customer. After a few minutes, Adam came back and I decided to take my break.

* * *

I've just finished eating the sandwich I prepared back home since I went straight here after class. I look at my watch to see that I still have two minutes to go since Adam gave me fifteen minutes. So, I just decided to people-watch in the most non-creepy way. I look around to see that there a lot of students on their way home, some of them walking alone, others laughing with their friends on the sidewalk. An old woman walking her two cute dogs and some teenage kids strolling around. There are also lots of cars and bikes going the same and opposite directions. I look in front of me to see that there is a parked car just a few feet away which some guys who were passing by take a chance to glance at. I stare at it and see that it's a white Audi convertible sports car. I mean, yeah, it's nice and all but just not my thing. It's one of the reasons why I ride my bicycle.

I glance at my watch again and see that my break is up, so I go inside through the back and put on my apron again. I only have 2 hours or so left before I'm officially done for the day. So, I walk out and see that there's a line already. Adam looks at me with a grateful smile and hands me a cup with an order written on it while I just nod and proceed to make the drink. The next few minutes passed in silence until there were only a few people left to tend to. Suddenly, the phone rang at the back and Adam calls my attention.

"Brittany, can you handle things for a moment?" I nod and walk towards him. "These two are our regulars." He adds and goes at the back while I move closer to the register while still looking down. I grab a coffee cup and look up to see the last ones left in line, a brunette with her back facing towards me and Quinn who was looking at me with a surprised expression. I looked closely at the familiar brunette who was wearing a nice white dress that just stops above her knees and heels to go with it, then suddenly my heart starts beating faster. _Fine. I checked her out as well._ She must have sensed Quinn's silence and expression, so she turned around to look at me and our eyes immediately met.

"Brittany." The Latina blurts out with both eyebrows raised in shock.

"Santana." I replied while we continue to stare at each other for a second or two until she turned around to face Quinn again.

I can hear from where I was standing that there were profanities being whispered to each other and also the occasional glance of Quinn in my direction. After a few seconds, I decided to cut short their little conversation, so I cleared my throat which called both of their attentions and point to the cup. Suddenly, Quinn gives me a smile and disappears to retreat somewhere. I didn't notice because Santana and I were staring at each other, I try to come off as strong so I just raise my left eyebrow at her as if I'm being impatient. _What? I don't want to be mean. Like, too mean._

"Uh.. Yeah. Hi.. Uh... How.. Yep." Santana tries to break off the ice but just fails at it miserably. I think it's adorable though, she looks so cute when she's nervous. _Don't judge me. I can appreciate cuteness of all forms._

I internally laugh at her antics and think I almost did before I bit my lip hard to stop myself from doing so. I decide to continue my little mean show and let her know who's the boss around here.

"Are you stalking me?"

Her face instantly turns into a shocked expression with her mouth hanging open and eyes widened. I so want to laugh so hard right now because anymore lip biting will cause bleeding so I think fast and drop the marker in front of me and immediately kneel down to pick it up. As soon as I ducked, I laughed so hard, a silent laugh at that while holding my mouth. I stayed there for about 5 seconds or so looking like a complete idiot before I cleared my throat and stood up with the same bitchy expression again while looking at her who's still sporting a shocked face. _I'm convinced that I might turn bipolar after this encounter._

"No, of course not. I.. Uh... Regular. Here. Me." She tells me nervously while blushing and looking down at something non-existent. I just look at her while pursing my lips so I can hold back my ever growing smile. I nod at her response and there was silence after with no one looking at the other. I eventually break the ice and speak up further a moment.

"So, order?" She looks up at me and shyly mutters a Caramel Macchiato. I nod again as she gives me the money for the drink. Alright, this ain't no movie. Our hands didn't touch and all. Just a slight little brush, if you know what I mean. _Wink, wink._

"Look, Brittany." Santana mutters while she follows my direction on the side while I just continue to do her drink. "I'm really sorry about what happened the other day. Really. I swear it won't happen again."

I do a semi-glare at her for a quick second and I see her.. _Wait, is she pouting? How cute!_ Anyway, I didn't respond at her statement and just continued to make her coffee.

"Can we at least try to be friends?" She tells me while looking like a puppy waiting for her master to come home. I look at her face to see that she looks sincere about it. I also never noticed that much but her eyes are so brown, it's just so beautiful. I'm at a crossroads whether to just drop the bitch act or continue with it. I wanted so bad to drop it already but something tells me that I should have a little more fun. _So, why not?_

"I don't know. I mean, you were covered in leaves while sleeping under a tree. It's kinda sketchy, if you ask me." I tell her while holding back a smile in which she gives me a faint smile and sighs.

"Do I look like a serial killer to you?" She asks rhetorically while grinning and I do a quick once over at her for literally just a second. Like a really fast glance then pretend I didn't look at her._ Yeah, I checked her out but I hope it wasn't that obvious. Whatever._

"Ryan Gosling fits the look of a serial killer." I tell her nonchalantly and she gives me a really, really nice smile which I know for some apparent reason, Santana just doesn't give to anyone easily. I didn't know that it was possible for someone so stunning to become even more beautiful with just a smile.

"Well, I'm sure that's debatable since he's good-looking and all but don't worry about me. I'm fine." Santana motions to herself and I take a peek at her. _And boy, she really does._

A couple seconds pass by and I've just finished her drink. So, I walk over to the counter while she follows my motion and stands across from me. I see that there's someone in line behind her, as well. I place her coffee on the counter and look at her in the eyes before I reply.

"We'll see." I gave her a subtle and almost non-existent smile. I'm still engaged in an eye contact battle with her and see that she looks as if she's trying to figure me out before stepping back to let the other customer order. I glance at her as she walks away from me while only half-listening to the new customer. Maybe I was wrong about her. _Maybe._

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

I've arrived in Adam's after a few minutes of driving and luckily enough, I got to park almost in front of the coffee shop. I changed into my heels since I resort to wearing comfortable flats when I drive. I mean, have you tried wearing heels while driving? I'm telling you, it's a fucking talent if you can.

I enter the shop to see a line forming at the counter with Adam managing it. He nods when he sees me and I smile at him in return. I wonder where's the pretty brunette barista who's usually the one serving at this time. _Oh well._ Anyway, I look around to see Quinn reading at the corner, so I approach and sit across from her.

"Hello, Fabgay. Just admit that you missed me and there will be no gay jokes for the next hour or so." I tell her with a smirk and she just rolls her eyes at me.

"Your presence is very much needed, Lezpez." Quinn quips and I smirk at this.

"Touché." I tell her as I look around the shop to see that there are quite a few people inside before looking back at her and crossing my legs while leaning back in my chair. "So, what requires my undeniably amazing presence?"

"Nothing, actually. I went to see you last night in your room but you were already asleep, like it was really early for someone like you. So, I'm just checking if you're okay." She cries out and looks at me for an answer.

"I'm fine. Just tired." I didn't look at her and just waved my hand in disregard. I glanced back at her to see that she's giving me one of her signature looks. It's the one where she knows that I'm lying and is trying to figure me out. Thankfully though, she doesn't push for anything and just nods.

"So, what's new? Did you and the Midget do it already?" I raised my eyebrows repeatedly and grin then subsequently make a disgusted face by pointing a finger to my mouth while sticking out my tongue.

"You're really horrible, Satan. And no, we haven't done it. We're going on a date tomorrow though." She tells me with a smile while looking at her book.

"Uh-huh. I will be in my room with my EarPods on tightly. I don't want to subject myself to an emotional trauma by hearing both of your moans. Just. Please no." I place my right hand in front her to make a point which she then replies by shoving me playfully while blushing. I smiled at this because I am genuinely happy for her because it's been a while since she's liked someone or has been with somebody. I can see that this thing she has for Rachel is real, so I may be a bitch about it but it's one of my ways to show that I'm glad. Otherwise, I won't give a crap or even joke about it.

"Lucy, come and buy coffee with me. Maybe I'll listen to the details of your liaison with the Midget from Israel. Just don't blame me if I cringe." I jest and hold her wrist as I drag her with me to the counter while chuckling.

* * *

Maybe we should have waited for a couple more minutes. There were still a few people in front of us so we have no choice but to wait since Adam's the only one manning the counter. Oh well, instead of being my usual impatient self, I decided to listen to Quinn's stories about Rachel and school. Half-listen, actually. A few minutes have passed and some crazy stories about the Midget and we're suddenly next in line. I didn't know this since my back was towards the counter. I was still listening to Quinn,_ half-listening_ when she suddenly stopped talking and looked like she saw a ghost. I was confused by this, so I turned around to look at whatever she was staring, then lo and behold.

"Brittany." I say while looking at her. Oh my god! Have you seen those blue eyes of hers. Just so beautiful! Wait, what the fuck is she doing here? She has an apron on her while holding a coffee cup. _Oh, hell no! This is a joke, right?_ The first person I want to see is in front of me. _No! The last person, okay? Last. Not first._

"Santana." She replies. For a while there, Brittany sounded like one of those villains in movies who's about to kill someone. Like the part where she unveils to you her master plan and shit while wearing a bright red catsuit. _Ooh.. Hot. Uh.. I mean, just totally wicked._

My first instinct is to look back at Quinn and give her a glare before motioning her to come closer and whispering just a few inches from her face.

"What the fuck is going on?

"I thought she left already." She tells me in defense.

"You thought? Why didn't you fucking tell me that she works here in the first place?"

"I'm not your girlfriend's keeper, Satan!" I blush at this statement.

"She's not my girlfriend, Fabgay! We're not even friends!"

"Whatever! Just go talk to her or something. She looks a bit angry at you." She tells me while taking another quick glance at Brittany.

"You fucking think? I told you what happened, right?"

"No, you fucking thought out loud, Norman Bates."

"Shut it! Pretend to faint or some shit so we can get out of here!" I shove her in the shoulder.

Before she can reply though, I hear Brittany clear her throat behind me and as I turn to look at her, I see that she's kinda pissed while holding the coffee cup. I look back where Quinn was and see that she's slowly going back to our table by the corner. _Traitor bitch._ I was left with Brittany and we engaged in a semi-stare off, not wanting to break the ice or speak first.

I didn't know what to tell her. I don't even know why she's here! I mean, it's obvious that she's probably working here but how is that possible? I was here a couple of days ago and I didn't see her. And out of all the coffee shops in Cambridge, she decides to work where I'm a regular? _How am I gonna get coffee? How am I gonna live now? Noo!_

Anyway, enough with the drama. There must be some fucking reason why the gods are conspiring to bring me and her closer together, right? So, let's found out why. And I mean, like legitimately asking nicely as well as trying to talk as humanely normal as possible. No more blurting out random stuff. _You got this, Lopez. Come on!_

"Uh.. Yeah. Hi.. Uh... How.. Yep."

_Really, Lopez?_

I don't know if I should be impressed or disappointed that I managed to speak out like that. I'm just grateful that nothing offensive came out of my mouth or that I didn't set her off like the last time. I'm not scared of her, definitely not. Just wary since we started on the wrong foot. I'm still nervous as hell though. I don't know why but whenever I'm around her, my heart beats so fast I could barely function. I look at her to see that she's biting her lip and wow, she looks really sexy doing it.

Anywayyy..

Instead of telling me something or replying nicely, she maintains a straight face and does the exact opposite of what I expect.

"Are you stalking me?"

Holy fucking shit. I'm having the stinky panic sweat under my boobs right now! What am I gonna do?! Wait, am I panicking again? I'm not stalking her, it just so happened that she's working here and I'm a regular at this shop. Yeah, that's it. I didn't do anything wrong but I'm still shocked as hell. Who would've thought that for a nice, soft-spoken girl, she can be mean on command. _Must be good in bed. Oh fuck, what the hell am I thinking about at times like this?_

She suddenly drops the pen she was holding a while ago and disappeared for a moment. If I didn't know any better, Brittany's plotting to kill me under the register by choosing the poison that she'll be putting in my coffee. I think she hates me that bad. I try to calm down and breathe while she's trying to find her pen. When she resurfaces I think fast for a reply.

"No, of course not. I.. Uh... Regular. Here. Me."

Way to go, Lopez._ I'm so freaking proud of you!_ At least you've managed to reply something nice. I take a really deep breath this time and exhale as well. I look up to see that she's nodding while looking at something down there. My eyes stops at her boobs though but I immediately take off my stare after a second or so. I am not a pervert. I just appreciate the human body, especially if it's hers. _Yes bitches, I said it._

Soon after, she speaks up and asks about my order which I give a silent reply of my usual. I'm not gonna be shy to admit it but I watched her as she made my drink and I can confidently say that she must be the most finessed barista I've ever seen. It's as if she's dancing. Pirouettes and shit. How cool is that? So, while she's making my drink, I take this as a chance to speak up.

"Look Brittany." I trail off while I take a breath first. "I'm really sorry about what happened the other day. Really. I swear it won't happen again."

Hohoho, bitches! I didn't fucking stutter or insult her! So, good job to me! Pat in the back, fellas! Anyway, I look at her to see any reaction and I think she glared at me which scared me for a second but thankfully, her face softened almost instantly as well. I was serious about being sorry, alright, I really am.

"Can we at least try to be friends?" I asked her and still no reply. She places my coffee in front of me and looks at me in the eye. I'm immediately smitten by her eyes almost as if I'm being sucked by it. It wasn't until someone behind me cleared their throat that we were removed from our daze.

"I don't know. I mean, you were covered in leaves while sleeping under a tree. It's kinda sketchy, if you ask me." _Oh, she's pouting, how cute! _Ahem. Anyway, i just give out a smile and sigh at her antics.

"Do I look like a serial killer to you?" I gesture to myself and when I look up I see that her blue eyes turned into a darker shade. Did she just check me out?

"Ryan Gosling fits the look of a serial killer." Wow. She got me here. I smiled so widely I think I broke my jaw.

"Well, I'm sure that's debatable since he's good-looking and all but don't worry about me. I'm fine." I motion to myself again while looking at her and her turned a darker shade of blue again! This time though, I caught her checking me out! _Holla, bitches!_

"We'll see." That was the last thing she said. It disappointed me because I thought we were making extraordinary progress and something inside wanted nothing more than to be close to her or at least try to get to know her better. I slowly went back to Quinn's table but not before looking back at her one last time.

I sunk into my chair and silently drink my coffee while Quinn just looks at me. She must have seen what transpired and just sighs then goes back to her reading to give me the space which I'm really thankful for.

* * *

This went on for almost two weeks. I'd try to talk to her and she'll just brush me off by nodding or giving a forced tight-lipped smile. She must have some magical powers because if anybody would have done the same, I'd be ganging up on them the first time they pulled an act like that. Brittany is different though. There's something about her that just makes me wanna try over and over again. I think Quinn was right when she explained to me in her psychobabble bullshit thingy that the ones who ignore us are the people we want most to please or be close with. _Freaking human nature._

Anyway, lemme break some stuff down for you about the past two weeks. So, after my first encounter with Brittany in the coffee shop, my regular trips there to get my fix have been quite.. Well, ain't no other word to put it but it was awkward and quiet. I'll just tell her my order and she'd make it while we bask in the ever growing awkwardness and silence between us. I mean, I tried talking to her about random stuff. Like, the other day we had a rather endearing one-way conversation.

"It's a nice weather today."

Yep. I talked about the weather. A kiss of death conversation topic.

Well, she didn't do anything. She just stared at me for about three seconds before going back to the machine that makes magical coffee._ Huh._ I just look down and sigh. _Tomorrow is another day._

I didn't go back there that next day though, I decided that maybe my absence will make her miss me or something even if we're block mates. _Yeah, I'm trying so hard, it's unbelievable._ Something tells me that it's all gonna be worth it in the end, or maybe that's just me convincing myself that it'll get better. _What? The woman's a freaking goddess!_ Anyway, moving on. Days passed and I'm still trying to start a conversation with her using the weirdest lines that have ever come out of my mouth. Some casual, some flirtatious. Bad flirtatious. All have ultimately resulted to failure.

It all started with casual conversation starters that she doesn't reply to or bat an eyelash at. She just looks at me for a while then goes back to doing something. _Uh-huh. I was trying to be nice._

"I wonder what Obama's doing right now."

"Yow, Brittany! What's up, girl?"

"Did you know that Judy Kuhn, the singing voice of Pocahontas was white? I mean, I thought she was Native American or Black all along! My childhood has been a lie all along!"

"Why do almost all Asians look alike? I mean, look at Chang and Chang!"

When that prove ineffective, I found myself desperate for her attention or just that smile of hers. I just need one! So, I upgraded to a new level of desperation. Corny jokes.

"Why does Snoop Dogg carry an umbrella? Fo' drizzle!"

"What kind of shoes do ninjas wear? Sneakers."

"Dwarves and midgets have very little in common."

"What did Jay-Z call his girlfriend before they got married? Feyoncé!"

I only got one smile! One freaking smile! This is fucking unbelievable, does this girl not know how to laugh? I mean, everyone behind me in line are always laughing like idiots or maybe they were laughing at me. I don't know, it's just getting frustrating! So, we go to the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life. The last freaking way to get this girl's attention. _Yes, I am fucking desperate because I want her to notice me so bad!_ I'm trying too hard because I am attracted to her. Why does this have to be such a challenge?

Anyway, moving on. We now go to the last resort. The cheesy pick-up lines.

"Coffee, tea, or me, Brittany?"

"Put down that cake!... Coz you're sweet enough already!"

"If you were a vegetable, you'd be a cute-cumber."

"Do you work at Starbucks? Because I like you a latte." With a wink, a freaking wink that she returned by a little smile while shaking her head in disbelief the she replied with a simple "You're such a dork." Did she just say that_? The ice queen has a freaking heart!_

Once, I even borrowed my friend's Shih Tzu then entered the shop to see Brittany smiling at the dog. At the dog. Not me who's in a micro miniskirt. _Really, Brittany? Really?_ When I approach the counter, she pets the dog which the latter became so excited about. So, I just look at her and point to my canine friend. "My bitch." _No, kidding. Seriously, I did that. I just did a horrible thing._ She just looks at me with eyebrows raised and mutters, "I can see that." While she proceeds to make my usual. Another fail.

So, that's about it. My misadventures with Brittany Pierce. At least she knows how to smile, I think that proves she's human. Hmm.. Lemme think if there's something else.. Oh, wait! Our little convention of gay people and friends aka my friends, decided to form a study group, too. So, a study group basically helps you to understand the law better and shit as well as prepare for exams. Since we only have two subjects this term, Contracts and Criminal Law, everyone agreed that we should divide ourselves when it comes to making reviewers for both subjects. A simple draw lots dictated our fate. For Contracts, it's going to be Quinn, Mike, Mercedes, and Kurt who will be handling that. Then, Tina, Rachel, Brittany, and I would be the ones tackling Criminal Law. How about that?

Here's the twist though: They, excluding Brittany and I which for some reason weren't present in this said agreement, also agreed that since both subjects were very broad, pairs should be made so that we can all concentrate on some fields while the other pair would do the same as well. If you ask me, this is just their way of pinning me and someone closer together.

You wouldn't need three guesses who I got. Of course, it's Brittany! Why is my fate always tied with that woman? The process of choosing pairs seems a bit sketchy to me. I tried hard, extremely hard, to try and get to know her but to no avail. That woman is made of something else! I can't deny that about a tiny, teeny part of me is happy that I got paired with her though. I mean, I'm thankful it's not Rachel. That woman is a treasure. Like someone who should be buried underground and shit.

All of this happened for the past two weeks. Which brings us back to the present, which is basically just me subtly staring at Brittany who's sitting across from me but a little on the right side while we're all in the library seated in a large table and studying. Actually, they're studying, not me. I find myself really drawn to this woman. It must be the chase and challenge of trying to get her to notice me. I've never experienced this before. Usually, I just come up to someone, smile and charm them, then have the girl served in a silver platter in front of me. I could have any girl in the world I want and yet, I have my eyes set on someone who wants nothing to do with me. _Fuck logic._

"Very subtle, Santana. You might want to hold back on the staring. She might think you're creepy." Kurt whispers while still looking at his book and smirking.

I glare at him then nudge his shoulder. "Shut up! I am not obvious!"

"Yes, and I'm not gay." He chuckles with his attention still in the book in front of him.

"Whatever. I am not staring at her, I was just.. Uh... Looking at something interesting behind her."

He looks up and glances at something behind Brittany then gives me a blank look. "'The Furniture Conglomerate in terms of Quality'? Wow, Satan. Even I don't know what that stuff means."

I blush at this and just brush him off. "What? Furniture is interesting."

"Sure. Support and fight for your bullshit." He says chuckling while holding back his laugh with a right hand.

I slap him playfully while we laugh when suddenly everyone in the table was shushing us. We mutter a quick sorry but not before I look up to see that Brittany gave a small smile then goes back to what she was reading. _Did she smile at me? I'm not sure. Goddamn it._ I hesitantly turn my attention back to my book and try to read. I ended up staring at the same page for the next hour.

After an hour or two, we decided to call it a day and pack up our stuff since it's already 8pm. As soon as we exited Langdell Hall, everyone went on their separate ways. Mercedes and Kurt carpooled with Mike and Tina since they all lived close to each other. Quinn and Rachel, who are now dating, are going somewhere for a late dinner. Really, it's just sickening to see how they're so attached and love struck. Gives me the creeps. Don't even get me started when I once went home and caught them making out in the living room. Oh gosh, it still gives me nightmares at night. Or maybe it's all my pent-up emotions of not having sex for more than two weeks now. _Must be it._

So, about Brittany. She bid goodbye to everyone including me. Just a small smile though. Yep, you read that right. Lately, we've been a little civil, she gives me a smile here and there but ignores me the next minute. _Bipolar-ish? I don't know, I'm crazy myself so I can't really judge people._ Unlike the others, she walks away and goes the opposite direction as us. I wonder why. I didn't bother though, I just walked with all of them to the parking lot while I take a glance of Brittany at my back every now and then until she disappeared from my line of sight.

"That's your car, Santana?" Mike exclaims and I just nod. I can see that he's genuinely amazed. He's even looking at it closely while crouching down to glance at the parts of my car. It's a white Audi R8 Spyder Convertible. I practically begged my parents for it.

"It's Satan's way of reeling in the girls." Quinn quips and I roll my eyes at her.

"I don't need this to get them." I say with a smirk while opening the door to my car.

"Uh-huh. You can't even get her to notice you." Quinn replies and I blush at this while the others chuckle. I quickly take a look around to see if Brittany's around and thankfully she wasn't. Even Rachel was already inside Quinn's car. I glare back at the blonde then give a reply. "No more free rides for you, bitch." I exclaim and we all erupted in laughter. I don't know when or how but all of them are suddenly into this crush wagon thing I have for Brittany. _See? I'm innocent! They're just all conspiring!_

We all say goodbye to each other and I watch them drove away one by one. As soon as Quinn and Rachel left, I pulled out of the parking lot and drove through Harvard. A mellow song was playing in my car and I grabbed my phone to change it into something more lively. I was scrolling through my playlist and eventually chose a song. I was just about to click it when I see something in front of me.

I immediately hit the brakes hard and everything went slo-mo.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

The past few weeks have been crazy, super crazy. Maybe having this part-time job was not a good decision, after all. At first, I found it convenient and even settled into a routine. On some days after my class, I'd just rush down to Adam's and work until the early evening when my shift ends. I also work at evenings when I don't have class but I'm lucky that I don't need to work on weekends, which usually means that I can sleep for almost half a day during those times. However, lately it's been extremely tiring. I found my load in school to be heavier and heavier by the day until eventually, I'd have to catch up on my reading instead of being ahead like before. I'm now at a crossroads of whether I should drop this job or continue it even if it's hard. I'm not a quitter though. It's a challenge but I think I can do this.

I guess the best part of working at Adam's is that I get to see Santana everyday. Yep, I admit to that fact. Here's our little routine: She comes in, I give her a cold shoulder just because I do, she orders, I make her usual, then she gives the corniest joke or pick-up line ever and I try my hardest not to laugh at her antics. _The jokes are so bad, it's just so good._ It's a challenge not to laugh. I don't even know why I'm still upholding the bitch act but I'm enjoying it since the girl is trying hard to make friends with me. Maybe a little too hard. _Really, that woman just doesn't give up._ I think that's why I'm enjoying this playing-hard-to-get thing. Makes me feel like a Disney princess of some sort.

I mean, I know Santana in a way because I've dated some women like her in the past. They're players. They will play with your heart and break it into a bunch of pieces after they're done with you. However, Santana is not what I expected though, she's just so different from anyone I've ever met. She just surprises me every time I see her. I thought she was this all-knowing smug woman who thinks she's the best and most gorgeous being alive. That's not the Santana I've come to know though, she's shy and funny. Actually, she's really not that much of a bitch. The woman is actually nice.

Anyway, we also have our study group now. I'm also paired with Santana to help make the reviewer in Criminal Law. I have no idea how or why that happened but for some apparent reason, it just did. I'm not complaining though. It's _so_ fine with me. We're all on our way home now after hours of studying in the library. I say my goodbyes to all of them including Santana since I thought that I was being too mean to her for the past few weeks. I give her a smile every now and then. So, the struggle nowadays is how to hold back the smile because if I don't, I'll be grinning like an idiot for hours every time I see her.

I'm walking back to where I parked my bike and unlocked it. I place my books in the basket and proceed to walk a little because I can't actually ride it in certain parts of the school. After I walked a bit and reached a point where I'm allowed to use it, I rode my bike and tightened my backpack behind me. When I'm all settled, I slowly pedaled through campus and even stopped for a few seconds to look around a little since I've never strolled in school at this time. I mean, that would be creepy and dangerous. So, nope. _Actually, now that I think about it, I should go home now. And fast._

I was halfway to reaching my exit when I hear something, like a roaring sound. I try to disregard it but I hear it coming closer to where I was located. I'm now in an intersection, so I look at my left and right first before pedaling again. Suddenly, a light emits from my left that blinds me. I froze and stumble from my position. I eventually lose balance and fall down the bicycle.

The last thing I heard was a loud screech of a car and the sound of my bike falling down.

* * *

**Xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

**\- Brittany POV -**

Everything was a daze until I suddenly hear a voice.

"Brittany!" A woman cries out in front of my face. "Brittany! Are you alright? Please tell me you're alive." I blink my eyes and see that it's Santana crouching in front of me while staring at me right in the eyes.

"Huh? What?" Dizziness is an understatement.

Santana sighs and helps me to get up. "Where did you come from? I almost ran you over." She adds and looks down in shame or was it confusion?

I try to regain my balance before looking around me when I suddenly feel a surge of pain coarse through my foot. I think I twisted it or something, I'm not sure. It just really hurts. As soon as I stand up and look at the car behind me which caused my literal downfall, the first thing I see is my broken bike with the tire in front of it smashed to pieces. At the sight of this, my blood just immediately boiled of anger. My bike's destroyed! I've been nothing but careful whenever I use it and this happens? Gosh, I'm just so furious right now! I instantly bend down and try to remove my bike from under the car.

"Woah, calm down!" Santana cries out.

"Calm down?! You almost ran me over then you destroyed my bike!" I shout at her and I can see her face contorting into an expression similar to what I'm sporting.

"What the hell? I didn't see you crossing because your bike doesn't have a flash light in front nor a red reflector in the back. You're not even wearing a helmet, Brittany! Then all of a sudden you're blaming me?" She tells me while throwing her hands in the air out of frustration.

"You would have seen me if you weren't going so fast and was paying attention on the road!"

"I was! I didn't even go over 10! I'm not the one at fault, you didn't pay attention. You could hear my engine from afar and yet you didn't hear me coming. I find that extremely hard to believe, Brittany!" She points a finger at me and I try and stand up to face her. The pain immediately shoots through my body and I lose my balance a little but eventually regain it enough to stand up straight. I look up to see her face scrunch up in confusion.

"Why are you blaming me for all of this? Maybe you even did this intentionally out of anger." I crossed my arms while glaring at her. Her face goes back to an expression of anger.

"Did you hear what you just fucking said? That's just fucking ridiculous! I did not run you over!" She shouts and I'm a little scared of her reaction because she comes closer to where I'm standing. "I hit the brakes immediately, that's why you're still alive! And excuse me, I made efforts to become friends with you, Brittany! Extreme efforts which you all brushed off! Move on and get over it! I have feelings too, you know!"

"You're mean and that's not a nice thing to say, Santana!"

"No, you're mean! And I hate you!"

"I hate you!"

Silence takes over between us. Our arms are crossed and we're glaring at each other. I think about what she just said and I think I'd have to agree with her at some point. I've been trying to remind myself that I should buy the required stuff for my bike, especially a helmet. It just so happens that I don't have enough money yet to purchase everything. And she really was being friendly, yet I ignored her big time. I really have been a jerk towards her for some time now_. Wait, I almost died just a minute ago because of her! But I'm somehow to blame for this, as well._ So, instead of waiting for something else to happen, I grab my bike from the floor and started to walk home with a limp while carrying it. More like, one step at a time because I'm trying to prevent myself from further stressing my right foot.

"Wait, where are you going?" I hear Santana behind me asking with confusion and concern.

"Where do you think? Home, of course." I don't look back at her and just kept walking slowly. I take a quick glance at my broken bike on the right and feel a surge of tears waiting to come out. My bike is just smashed to pieces and I don't even have money to have it repaired. Or maybe it's the pain from our almost collision awhile ago and all the stress I've been under lately, as well. It's just every little thing ganging up on me all at the same time right now Also, I think you all know by now how important this bicycle is to me and it's not all drama. It reminds me of home and everything, then to just have it shattered like this? It just breaks my heart. I hold back the tears and continue to walk while struggling to carry my bike.

"Brittany! Wait! Let me give you a ride back home!" She shouts from a few feet behind me.

"I don't need your help, Santana!" I shout back at her. Then it all suddenly becomes quiet. The only sound I could hear is the chain of my bike slamming against its frame. After a few seconds, a light suddenly shoots from behind me and I hear the revving of an engine coming closer.

"Come on! It's not safe to walk around at this time of the night and you're hurt. Just let me take you home! Please!" She cries out from the inside of her car with the windows down and is now moving slowly while following beside me.

"I'm a big girl, I can handle it." I still don't look at her though. I just continue walking with my attention in front. I'm almost out of the school premises and I can see my exit.

"Brittany, just get in the fucking car!" She angrily shouts from her car that is still following me.

"Leave me alone, Santana!" I quip back. Suddenly, an immense pain shoots through my right foot and I trip as my bike falls from my grip and hits the ground. I can't hold back the tears now. I just break down and cry while I kneel for a moment to recuperate for a few seconds from the pain. The vehicle beside me stops and Santana comes out of the car. As soon as she sees me, there's an ear splitting silence. After a few seconds, Santana breaks the ice.

"Brittany, you're badly hurt. Just please get in the car and let me take you to the hospital." I hear sadness in her tone but instead of feeling anything else, rage just filled me up together with the tears that came with it. I glare at her and proceed to say words that I will probably regret soon.

"Just leave me alone, Santana! I don't want anything to do with you! Please, just stop!" I tell her with so much emotion. She looks at me sadly for a few seconds before she steps away in front of me. I remove the tears from my face then proceed to stand up carefully while grabbing my bike and slowly continued to walk again. After a moment or two, I hear a revving engine behind as if it's following me. She was right about Harvard at night. There were only a few people out at this time since I assume most students are already home studying. I got a little scared but the sight of Santana following behind me erased that almost instantly.

I cross the intersection but the pain in my right foot badly persists. Minutes passed and when I subtly looked back behind me, I was disappointed to see that there's no more white Audi. I sigh at this and collected myself before walking forward again. Just when I thought that Santana completely left me already, she surprised me by following me all the way home by foot. By foot. _I'm serious, she really did._ I look behind me to see Santana looking directly back at me with sad eyes while trailing just a few feet from me looking like a beaten up puppy.

Instead of stopping or waiting for her, I just proceed to walk and decided to never look back in her direction again. I didn't really get very far until the weight of my bike felt lighter. As soon as I look to my right, I see Santana holding it and carrying the bike with me. She doesn't look at me though, she's just looking at something non-existent in front of us. I'm touched by the gesture but I wouldn't want her to think that I'm being needy of her or anything. I can still walk, so I'll be fine.

"Let go, Santana. I'm fine." I tell her as I try to grab the bike away from her but she doesn't bulge or say anything, she just continues to walk at my pace.

"Santana." I look at her and still nothing.

"Santana, I'm fine."

"I said let go!" With those words, we stopped walking and she looks at me as if she's going to murder me with her glare. She looks furious. _I'm seriously scared now._ A few seconds pass in silence with us only looking at each other's eyes,_ which by the way I'm so enamored by hers_, until she looks down and exhales very deeply while pinching the bridge of her nose then closed her eyes. Suddenly, she looks up again at me and speaks up.

"No. You. Let. Go."

Woah there. I did not anticipate that part. I never thought that the Latina who I've come to know as a shy and funny girl and someone I could easily scare off whenever I want to could be this feisty. Wow, she could be demanding all she want and I'd gladly be submissive. I mean, it's just really hot.

_Ahem.. Yeah. Back to where we were._

I am not ashamed to admit that I did let go. Though I don't think I would've let anyone else to convince me like that. She's still looking at me as she takes the bike away from my hands before looking down at my foot and then back at me. Then as if surprising me with her commanding tone wasn't enough, she holds out her hand in front of me. I don't know what she wants to happen but almost instantly, Santana points to my backpack. I just look to her dumbfounded until she holds her hand out again in emphasis.

"No, I can handle this." I tell her while holding on to my backpack tightly.

Santana raises her eyebrows at me and bites her lips then exhales. _Wow, that's hot. Come on, Pierce! You're hurt. Flirting and getting laid stuff should occur later. Much later._

"Stop being stubborn and hand it over." She tells me firmly and comes closer. Woah, her face is only a couple of inches away from me. _Wow, she smells really nice._ I am not ashamed to admit that I carefully handed my backpack over to her. I did it slowly so I can cherish this small moment. As soon as she slings my backpack over both of her arms, a huge weight has been literally lifted off my back. Santana then speaks up. "How far still?"

I look around to see that we're nearing my place so I glance back at her and reply. "Just a couple more blocks to go." I wanted so bad to argue with her to just let me go home by myself or that I don't need her help. However, I know that I do, I'm just really stubborn by nature. Or maybe it's just that I don't want her to go yet.

"Can you still walk?"

"Yeah. But you don-" She cuts me off and points to my apartment's direction.

"Let's go. Lead the way." _Oh. Alright then._ I purse my lips and we continue to walk slowly and silently for the next few minutes. After a couple of blocks, we reach my apartment complex and stop in front of the stairs. I try to climb the first step but pain just took over and I lose my balance. I thought that I'd hit the pavement and die but amazingly, Santana caught me. Yes dorks, like a movie moment wherein the other one catches the heroine from falling by holding her back then they assume an incredibly close position next to each other as they looked into each other's eyes for a moment then proceed to magically kiss and it's suddenly happily ever after.

That's exactly what happened. _Not!_

Yes, Santana did catch me but she must have miscalculated how she would land on her feet because the next thing I knew, she's falling too and we're suddenly on the ground, on top of each other. _Really._ Now, you know the thing that happens in Disney movies wherein they both fall on the ground on top of each other, face to face, then proceed to stare into the others' eyes and suddenly, they finally realize at that moment that they're meant to be together? So, the lead characters kiss, rule the kingdom, and make babies? _The last part's omitted for kids though._ Anyway, that's it. Cue happy ending theme music.

That's exactly what happened. _Nope!_ This ain't that kind of story, bro.

We did land on top of each other but with _my back_ towards her. _Now talk about awkward._ I'm not hurt though but seeing that she's the one who fell for the both of us since my weight was all on her, I immediately moved away from the position and try to get up. I suddenly hear a loud groan. _Believe me, it's not what you think it is._ I think I also heard a crack which got me a bit worried. It must be from my backpack.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I'm kneeling down right now as I try to help her sit and remove my bag from her back.

"Yeah. Nothing major." She groans out again while caressing her back. This made me smile a little. You know, if I wasn't hurt I would've found this incident cute and funny. I mean, it really is. I was supposed to say something more when suddenly, just when you thought it couldn't get any more awkward, a few people passing by just had to offer their comments.

"Get a room!"

"Ooh! You go, girl!"

"Oooh.. She's hot, blondie! The sex is gonna be hot, for sure!" An old woman muttered and I had to shake my head in disbelief for a moment.

Suddenly, Santana laughs out of nowhere. She was sitting on the ground with her legs laid out by the sidewalk laughing by herself. _Must be the fall or something._ I can tell that it's genuine though, so I begin to chuckle as well. After a while, she slowly gets up and lends me a hand to get up. At first, I only stared at her but then she smiled and all my present doubts about this woman disappeared. "Oh, careful." Santana tells me as she helps me to get up. You know about those moments in movies when the lead character suddenly falls into the arms of the other lead? Like the part when she fall inches away from the face of the other and they stare for a bit at one another because they're all smitten or something?

That's exactly what happened.

No, like legit. That's what really happened.

She must have pulled a little too strongly for me to end up inches away from her face like that. Or maybe she did that intentionally. We'll never know. I'm not complaining though. _High five!_ Anyway, after a few seconds, she breaks the ice and our little staring contest ends when she speaks up.

"So, why don't you hold on to my shoulders then I'll help you up? Let's take it slow, alright?" I nod and snake my arms into her shoulders while she helps me climb the steps one by one so I can help us get in. I'm not gonna lie, I felt butterflies in my stomach as she helped me reach the door. I think it has something to do with the closeness of our body or just the sensation of our touch. Did I mention that her arms were around my waist? _Gosh._ The struggle to hold back a smile is all too real. I think I felt her boobs too. _Oh, yeah!_

Anyway, as soon as I got us in and she grabbed my broken bike as well as my backpack, we took the lift in silence and after a while ended up in my doorstep. I take out my keys and unlock it but not before looking back at her. "I'll be okay here. You've helped me enough, Santana. Thank you." I tell her shyly which she returns with a small smile.

"I'm already here. So, might as well." She tells me while motioning to my apartment. "Unless you're planning something else." Santana jokingly adds with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"After what happened? I think you're delusional." I told her jokingly in a semi-serious tone and see that she gulped heavily and turned a little serious as well. How gullible is this kid? Just kidding._ Or am I_? "That was a joke." I muttered and she sighs. I'm trying to hold back a smile at her antics "Don't expect anything grand inside." I add nonchalantly then open the door. _Hey, she helped get home and everything even if I was mostly to blame. So, I think it's time to finally stop being a jerk._

I limp a little as I go inside and take a look around to see that Rachel isn't home yet. I place my keys on the table beside the entrance. Our apartment is just an average looking one but spacious for Rachel and I. As soon as you enter through the door, you're immediately faced with our living room with the side of the sofa towards you and the television facing it. The kitchen is located across the hall, it's actually almost the first thing you'll see as you enter our apartment. My bedroom is beside the kitchen, to its left from the point of view of someone entering our place. Rachel's bedroom is on the far right side, near the bathroom since she takes a lot of time to get ready and gets up just before 5am to do her skin care routine.

I'm now sitting on our sofa in the living room when I look back at the door to see that Santana is still at the doorway. I'm sensing some hesitation from her to enter so I try to think of something to make her at ease. Or not.

"Are you going to come in or just wait all night for nothing there?" _I hope that didn't come off wrong._

"Uh.. Yeah. Sorry." She mumbles and shakes her head. "Where do I put this?" Motioning to the destroyed bike in her hands. I glance around to look for a spacious area for it since it's going to be staying in the apartment for quite a while. "Just over there, please." I point to an empty space near the flat screen. Santana nods and proceed to carry the bike and place it on the empty space beside the television. Now, from where I'm sitting, I can clearly see her bend down to put it on the floor carefully. She's wearing a simple blouse and some tight black pants. I may have tilted my head to the side to catch more of the action. _What? Don't tell me any of you haven't done that before. _I look away almost instantly when she looks back at my direction while I pretend to touch and caress my right foot. I'm quite a loser when it comes to these kinds of things. I think all of you know that by now.

An awkward silence immediately takes over. I don't want to speak up first because she might have caught me checking her out. _Please, let us not be anymore obvious_. So, here we are lounging in the ever continuous silence between us, looking at anywhere but each other. However, I decide to break the silence only to be cut off by Santana when we try to speak at the same time. She gestures for me to continue and I speak up.

"Would you like something to drink?

She thinks about it for a second then looks at me. "Uhmm.. Yeah. Just water, please. I'll get it myself though, just show me where I can get one."

I disregard her statement and try to stand up but find it extremely difficult to do so because of the pain. As a result, I fall down on my seat again. Santana immediately comes to tend beside me. "Just relax." I look at her to see that she's suddenly holding my feet and raising them to the couch while carefully placing both lower extremities on the sofa. "I'm gonna take a look at it, okay?"

I'm scared that it would hurt so I try to take my feet back. She chuckles though but looks at me and gives me a warm smile. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. Plus, my dad's a doctor. So, it's fine." I give in to her last statement and she touches my right foot very carefully. I found myself staring at her and not with what's happening in front of me. Butterflies completely enveloped my stomach when she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Brittany? Did you hear what I just said?"

"Huh?" I blink a few times to see Santana smiling warmly at me.

She sighs and repeats what she supposedly said a minute ago. "I said, I think you sprained your foot." Santana looks back at the injured body part.

"Oh." I find myself staring at her lips.

I immediately think of something to change the topic. I know I owe this girl an apology for what happened, so I speak up.

"Santana, about what happened a while ago." I trail off and she's still looking at my ankle. "I'm sorry for acting like that. I realize that it was my fault since I didn't have any gear at all and I'm terribly sorry for blaming it all on you. I'm not going to make up an excuse or something. I just want to say thank you for being patient with helping me and bringing me home safely. Thank you." I tell her with a small smile and she looks up to nod at me.

"I must admit that you were quite a handful." She jests and I chuckle.

"Yeah, I think I'm just really stubborn."

"You think? That's an understatement, Britt." I blush at the nickname.

"Sorry about that." I tell her while looking at anywhere but her. "Also, I'm sorry for acting like a jerk and ignoring you for the past two weeks. That was totally uncalled for. You deserve the most sincere apology."

"Yeah, you really were a jerk. I'll forgive you though if you admit that my jokes and pick-up lines were funny." Santana grins widely and I smile at her silliness.

"Gosh, it was all hilarious. Just. LOL, cute-cumber." I reply and we both laugh. After a few seconds, "So, does that mean that we can be friends now?" I add.

She thinks about it for a moment, clearly hesitating before looking a back at me. "I don't know. Are you still going to continue being a bitch?"

My mouth drops open at her statement. I place my hand on my chest as if to feign being hurt. "Alright, I deserve that one." Santana chuckles. "I'm really sorry for that. I understand if it's going to take a while for you to forgive me."

"Nah, you're forgiven. And I'd like to be friends with you. This is legit though, right? Like no bitchy shit and mean words?"

"Yes, Santana. I promise to be nice from now on."

"I hope not all the time." She whispers and I blush at her statement. Santana must have only thought that one out loud.

I clear my throat. "So, friends?" I hold out my hand in front of her as she looks into my eyes.

"Friends." Santana quips as she takes my hand into hers. I found myself staring at her lips and I can tell that she's doing the same. I want nothing more than to kiss her right now and forget everything that happened a while ago. I suddenly notice that she's leaning closer to me and even found myself doing the exact same thing as well. It could only have been a couple more inches when the front door opened.

"What the fuck is going on here?!" Quinn cries out and we immediately try to move away from each other.

"Sweetie, your language." Rachel mutters beside her then looks at me. After a few seconds, her calm face turns into a shocked one. "Britt! What happened to you?" She rushes to my side and sits on the sofa beside me while looking all worried. "Are you okay? Were you hurt badly? Who did this to you? Quinn, call an ambulance!" Rachel cries out in a hurry.

I chuckle at her antics. "I'm fine, Rach."

"No! It looks really swollen!" She motions to my foot. "Quinn, I said call the ambulance!" Rachel turns to the other blonde's direction and adds.

"Calm down, Berry. She's fine." Santana chimes in with her arms crossed and an eye roll directed towards Rachel. We all look at her direction and she glances back at us with both eyebrows raised. "What?"

"What are you doing here?" Quinn cries out with her attention towards Santana.

The Latina's contorts face to that of a surprise as if she had just been caught doing something. "I.. Uhm.." She turns to me for help.

"She brought me home after I injured myself." I tell everyone nonchalantly and a sudden silence occurred. "We almost had a collision but it was my fault since I didn't have any gear at all nor a reflector on my bike. Santana has been nothing but helpful and nice to me. So, it weren't for her, I'm still probably crawling on my way home." I point to my bike on the corner then heard the two gasping as soon as they saw how bad the damage my bicycle endured.

Rachel stands up and turns to Santana calmly. "That was very nice of you, Santana. Thank you for taking care of her."

"Uh.. You're welcome?" Santana cries out and looks at my direction and mutters a silent "Thank you."

"She even carried my bike and backpack, as well as helping me get here. Even if I refused her help big time." I try to stand up again but immediately fail at it as I stumble to maintain my footing.

"Easy there, tiger." Santana mutters as she holds my arms to keep me standing. A sudden silence immediately envelops the whole room. I noticed that Santana's face is unbelievably close to mine and I found myself staring right into her eyes.

Clapping to get our attention ensues from someone int the room and I glance to my left to see both of them staring at us. "Alright, lovebirds. We're still here, if you haven't noticed." Quinn cries out and points to Rachel and herself. "Let's get Brittany to the hospital since we don't know how badly her foot was injured."

I look down at my right foot to see that it really is swelling badly. I immediately feel dizzier at the sight of this. "That would be a great idea. The hospital's not far from here. Let's go." Rachel adds.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

Holy shit.

I blink a few times to try and register what just happened. After a couple of seconds, I see movement just in front of me. I hurriedly exit my car and go to the mystery person I almost bumped only to see that it's none other than Brittany Pierce. _Why is my fate always tied with this girl?_

I try not to panic when I see that she's unconscious and there are some minor scratches on her but thankfully, she's breathing. So, I try to wake her up from her slumber. Soon enough, she woke up and from the first time I see her stand up, I immediately knew that there's something wrong with her right foot judging by the way her face contorted to that of someone in extreme pain. However, instead of thanking me or something else, she berated me because of her destroyed bike. I mean, this woman almost died and her broken bicycle's what she's worried about? This woman continues to amaze me.

We proceed to bicker back and forth and let me tell you something, I told her how I really felt! _Oh yeah, I really fucking did_. However, she cut it short by limping away from me while grabbing her broken bike. At this point, I could just walk away from her but the thing is though, I honestly know to myself that if I haven't looked up in time from changing the song, I really could have run her over. I was partially in fault, I admit that. I may even been going a little too fast for my own good. She doesn't need to know that though. So, I tried to talk her into grabbing a ride with me but she vehemently refused to do so until she hurt herself and stumbled to the ground. As soon as I got down on my car to help her, my heart broke at the sight of her crying. It was further shattered when she told me to stay away from her. I could never do that, I just know it. Sue me.

So, she tried to walk home again carrying her bike while I just followed her slowly with my car. As soon as Brittany crossed her way to Harvard Square, I knew that I immediately had to find a way to follow her all the way back home just to make sure she gets back safely before I lose sight of where she is. Luckily, a car just pulled out of a parking spot which I hurriedly hogged. I got a few evil stares from doing that. _Whatever._ I get down my car, put a load of coins into the parking meter because Cambridge will always be Cambridge, and sent a quick text to Quinn while doing so.

**To Fabgay:** _SOS. Britt's place._

I then look around to see Brittany struggling to carry the bike, so I just followed her at first until I had enough of just staring and helped her carry it.

"Let go, Santana. I'm fine." Brittany quips.

Seriously, this girl is so stubborn! And that's coming from me! I didn't let her win though, I carried the bike myself as well as her backpack. Don't even get me started on that backpack! That bag is so freaking heavy, I don't know how she managed to carry that with all that's happened in the last half hour or so. I kept it cool though. _It's not freaking heavy, it's not._

After a few minutes, we arrived in her apartment building. There were a few hiccups since she found it hard to climb the stairs but instead of losing my patience like I always do. I just laughed it off. When we reached her apartment, I hesitated to go in. I mean, it's a really nice apartment. I think I prefer it to mine on some degree. After everything that happened, Brittany's suddenly all nice to me now. I'm quite thankful for that. Anyway, the reason I maybe hesitating to go in is because from my line of sight, I can see her sitting on the sofa with her legs all stretched out. Lemme tell you something, she was in her shorts. And those legs could go on for days. _Just__ whole fucking month or more!_ Temptation is really testing me right now but I didn't give in, _yet._ Hundreds of erotic thoughts invade my mind. _Must. Not. Give. In._

I placed her bike and backpack down only to see her checking me out when I turned my attention back at her. _Aha!_ I tried to hide the smile from it so, I distracted myself to check and see how her foot's doing. I knew that I wasn't the only one enjoying this because as soon as I knelt down in front of her, I just lost her completely. She didn't even listen to me, so I'll just have to pretend that Brittany wasn't obvious at all. Also, I lied about knowing some medical stuff regarding my dad. To tell you honestly, I know batshit about medicine. _What? I'm just trying to prolong this closeness with Brittany. _The highlight of it all was when she apologized to me about everything. Legit apology. The long awaited sorry has finally arrived! She even thanked me for helping her and said sorry again for being stubborn which I all appreciated. To summarize it all, she offered to be friends and after making sure she won't be mean to me again, I agreed. Come on, that's all I ever wanted. Or more.

I suddenly found myself staring into her amazing blue eyes and then felt brave enough to lean in. I just want to kiss Brittany so bad. Words cannot describe how much I'd love to taste her lips. It must only have been a few more inches because I could already smell her strawberry shampoo when the front door opened and we were forced to retreat to our respective positions. I don't want to bother you with anymore details because I'm just bummed from the appearance of these two bitches. To keep it concise, let's just say that Rachel and Quinn thanked me for taking care of Britt, Brittany defended me, then we all went to the nearest hospital to get her checked out.

By the way, I was right about the sprain!

* * *

I barely slept last night. My thoughts were clouded by Brittany. She was grunting in pain for as long as we were there in the hospital. Thankfully, the doctor told us that it's only a Grade 1 sprain which can heal quickly. Okay, I don't know what the fuck that means but Quinn translated it for us as only a light sprain that may heal for less than a month as long as there are no strenuous activities for Brittany. On top of all that, I accidentally destroyed her bicycle. Yeah, my car has some minor damage too but that's nothing compared to hers. Rachel even told me how attached Brittany is to her bike which irked me at myself even more. I understand now why there's so much fury on her part a while ago. Having said that, I still feel bad about everything that happened. I know deep in my heart that I was part of the reason why we had an accident and I have to do something out of guilt. Since we're friends now, I know that I just have to help her.

Or that's what I'm trying to convince myself with.

I've been sitting in my car which is parked in front of her building for the past fifteen minutes thinking of how I should approach the situation. Eventually, I look at the clock to see that if I don't get a move now, Brittany and I will be late for school. So, I just decided to wing it. Luckily, someone just left the building, so I took it as a good sign for me to continue with my plan. When I arrived in front of Brittany's door, I checked my watch to see that we still have half an hour to go before Tanaka gets to class. So, I exhaled as deeply as I can and knocked on her door. I hear someone shouting from behind the door and I think it may have been almost a minute before Brittany opened it.

"Oh. Hi, Santana. I wasn't expecting you." Brittany greeted with a genuine surprise on her face which eventually turned into a smile. I can see that she's yet to be ready for school.

"Hi." I greeted back while looking at her. "Uhmm.. Can I come in?"

"Sure. Yeah. Come in." Brittany gestures for me to come inside then closed the door before taking a seat on the sofa. When she got comfortable, she looked back at me with a smile. _Damn. Those legs could go on forever._ "So, what's up?"

_You got this, Lopez!_ Show her who's the bitch! Well, I think I may be her bitch. _What? No!_ You did not hear anything!_ At. All._

I face her and stare directly into her eyes as I try to diminish the gap between us. "Nothing, actually.." I trail off as I take a seat across from her from the other couch. "I just came here to check up on you." I motion to her foot. "I know I'm still responsible on some degree, so I'm sorry."

She tilts her heads to the side in an adorable way and looks at me for a few seconds. "Why are you apologizing? It was my fault. Don't say sorry, Santana. If anything, I'd have to apologize for your car. Which by the way, I'll pay you back as soon as I have enough money."

"What? No, don't bother with that. That's fine." I wave my hand in disregard.

"Santana, please let me." Brittany tells me with a ridiculously cute pout.

I didn't know what else to reply or maybe I'm distracted with her pout, so I just nod. "So, anything else?" Brittany smiles at me and stands up. "I still need to get ready for school. I'm still having a hard time adjusting with barely using my right foot."

Alright. It's now or never. I got this shit. So, I stand up and mirror her stance. Did I mention she's wearing a tank top and some really short shorts? I tried my hardest not to check her out. "_Tried" is a big word._

"Actually, that's another reason why I'm here." I tell her with confidence.

She goes back to face me with a scrunched up face and holds on to the couch. "What do you mean?"

I come closer to her and we're now only a feet apart. "This is how it's going to go down, Pierce." I hold my head up high. "You won't be going anywhere without me for the next few weeks or until you're finally back to normal."

She just stares at me for a moment as if to digest what I just said. So, I continue to speak and make my point. "Take this as my way of making it up to you with your bike and everything. Basically, I'll be taking you to and from school everyday and whenever you have plans, as well. Don't worry, I won't get in the way of your life. I'll just help you with your usual stuff."

I can see that Brittany's trying to think about it for a moment. After a few seconds, she speaks up. "You don't have to do anything, Santana. I don't want to bother you. I just have to adjust to this then I'll be good. You don't have to feel responsible for anything, at all."

"I want to help you, Britt. I insist. Please."

She exhales deeply and crosses her arms while she thinks about it for a moment. "So, let me get this clear, you're saying that you'll be helping me with everything?"

"That's the plan." I reply and shrug.

"What if I need to go to work?"

"Don't worry about that, Quinn and I have already talked to Adam."

She raises her eyebrows at me out of curiousness but decides not to press it for now. "How about if I need to study at the library?"

"I'll take you there and get you home after you study." I reply almost instantly.

"What if I just want to study at home or watch a movie in the nearby theater? Or maybe go feed the ducks in the park?"

_Uh-oh._ I wasn't able to go through the loopholes of this plan. "Uh.. I'll take you there?"

"What if I want you to come with me?" _Shit? _Yes, with a goddamn question mark! This woman is playing me!

"Uh.. Okay?"

"So, Santana.." She trails off seductively while coming closer to me. "It's as if you're saying that you'll be around me for almost 24/7 until I get better. Am I right?"

_Oh shit._ I was clearly not able to think this through. This woman is so damn smart!

"Uh.. I think so?" Smooth, Lopez. _Real smooth._

"And you want that?" She smirks seductively and our faces are only just a couple of inches away from each other.

_Of course I do!_ Ahem. Keep it cool. Just fucking cool. "I-I'm okay with that."

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Santana?" She raises an eyebrow at me while biting her lip._ Oh my fucking God!_

_Hell yeah!_ Cool, Lopez. Keep it cool even if you have a thousand butterflies in your stomach or maybe it's because of the growing pain just below your stomach. _Fuck this sexual frustration! _I clear my throat before answering and try to look at anywhere but her. "Y-yes, B-brittany. I a-am."

She stares at me for a minute or two before giving out a really seductive smirk and proceeds to go for my ear to whisper something. "Well then, if you insist." Then suddenly goosebumps just filled my entire body. I think I even had to close both of my legs tightly just to disregard the feeling coming from underneath.

"O-okay." Was all I could honestly reply. Brittany is driving me so crazy right now. She proceeds to turn her back on me and walk towards a room before stopping on her tracks and looking back at me with a smirk, "I'll just take a quick shower. Aren't you coming?"

_Oh. My. Fucking. God. Holy fucking shit! What do I do? What do I fucking do?_

"Uh.. Uh.."

Then out of the blue, Brittany chuckled and I immediately got confused of her expression. "Oh, Santana."Brittany looks at me with a smirk while crossing her arms. "This is gonna be fun." She winked then proceeds to go inside a room which I'm assuming is hers while I was still left gaping at the events that transpired before me.

Fuck. This woman will be the absolute fucking death of me.

* * *

**Thoughts?**


	8. Chapter 8

**\- Brittany POV -**

"Ahh.. Oh.. Gently, San."

I hear some muffled noise and panting. "Oh. Is this better?"

"Yeah. Just s-slowly." I cry out while closing my eyes.

"There?"

"Oh yeah. Much better. Just.. Aw!" I scream a little too loudly.

"Fuck!"

"Santana, I just sat down." I laugh at her nervousness.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Britt! I thought your foot was inside the car already. I didn't mean to close the door on you."

"It's okay. You didn't hit it." _It did._ I brush it off with a wave but gosh, it hurts like a bitch.

That's what happened after our little talk about her insisting to help me, which I found rather hot when she acted all commanding and confident.

It's been two weeks now since Santana volunteered and insisted, _I have to emphasize the insisted part_, to help me as I try to recover from my sprain. And you know what? I've been having a blast teasing her big time with every little thing. But more on that later. _Wink, wink._ You see, Santana and I have been spending so much time together lately. I think the only instance we don't see each other is when it's time to sleep. On one occasion though, we even had a sleepover. Not the kind you're thinking though. And yes, I barely kept it together.

Santana's been nothing but a sweetheart to me. Well, sometimes she'll act bitchy and our personalities would clash but at the end of the day, everything's okay. I can honestly say that we've become quite closer now. And yes, I did get over my cheekiness of riding her car. It's kinda nice, actually. Since Santana always looks hot when she drives and-

_Ahem._ Yeah. Moving on.

Let me fill you in about what happened these past two weeks. Hmm.. Oh! Since we've been spending a lot of time together, we eventually fall into a routine. For example, when we have classes, Santana would always knock on my door half an hour before class. And never fails at it. _See? She's a gem!_ I do feel like a Disney princess when she's around and I try my best to make her feel the same. _What? That's what friends do, right?_ Anyway, she always patiently waits for me to finish getting ready. At first, she'd often insist to help me about every little thing. However, being my oh so stubborn self, I always refuse her help. What? I'm already a bit helpless, I don't think I'd need to feel more bad about myself. I honestly think that the best part about having her around me a lot is that even though we spend almost every minute together, everyday, she still gives me space. And I appreciate that.

About Adam's, Santana mentioned previously that Quinn and her had talked to Adam about my injury. Rachel was on it, too. So, when Santana and I went there the next day after our accident, I was actually expecting to be fired. However, I found out that I still have a job albeit a different one, which calmed me because I really needed the money since most of my cash went to the hospital bill.

"So, what do I do now?" I asked Adam who's giving me a tight lipped smile.

"Err.. I think I just have to show you." He replies with his British accent and gives me a nervous grin while looking at Santana behind me. I looked at their silent exchange and immediately wondered what's in store for me. Adam motioned for Santana and I towards the back where we stopped in front a door of some small office.

"Okay. What's going on?"

"I just want you to know that I'd understand if you don't wish to take this job." Adam cries out.

"Alright. This is getting kinda weird. Is this the part where you tell me you're actually a serial killer and kill me inside this room?" I tell him with questioning eyes and Adam just shakes his head with a smile in disbelief. "No, Brittany. You just have to see for yourself." He adds as he opens the door to a small office.

Upon opening it, my eyes immediately darted to a hundred different piles of never ending paper. My eyes widened as soon as I got in and saw just how much it really was. The room only has a small office table, black folding chair, small cabinet, and a wall cabinet presumably for organization. Which ironically, is the thing this room needs the most.

"You see, my younger brother, who was the bookkeeper, didn't really do his bloody job before running off to some unknown place last month." Adam sighs. "When I tried to take over, I just got lost at the tons of paper. I didn't even know where to start and now I really need to have everything organized for transparency." He walks in front of the table. "Seeing that you're a smart, good, and trustworthy worker, it gave me the idea of offering you this job instead. You may work for less days but I'd need you to work longer for a few hours when you do come in. And since this is a lot to ask for, I'll double your pay." Adam grins.

I think about it for a moment while surveying the room. This will be a lot of work. I mean, _a lot._ The good thing though is that I won't be getting up and moving a lot for a while, so I think I can recover more quickly. And it's double the pay! I won't be stressing out on how to pay my bills. I may even have my bike repaired after a month of working, as well as start to save so I can pay back Santana for the damage my bike caused on her car. I'm trying to be practical here, so I directed my attention to Adam again.

"I'll take it." I told him and his grin widens even more.

* * *

Okay, guys. Let me be clear with everything. I never forced nor insinuated Santana to help me with anything. At all. I didn't even hinted as much. I'm a big girl, I can handle myself. So, why would I need somebody else to help me? It just so happened that the opportunity to be closer to Santana presented itself and who am I to reject it? Let's be honest, I'm attracted to the girl. Hell, I think I even like her. She's been heavily insisting and persisting to be my slave, _err.._ to assist me. And it's a win-win situation between us, with me constantly seeing the girl and her lending a hand presumably out of guilt or something. If I may state, everyone's helping me right now even with the smallest of gestures. Friends, block mates, and even strangers. So, it's really no biggie.

For the past two weeks, I've also come to know Santana better. Let's see, the first week we spent together, I discovered that she hates studying. I know, right? To think that all you'll ever actually do in law school is to study, it's the part she hates the most. For example, the other day the whole gang was at her and Quinn's place. But first let me tell you about their apartment, it's a posh modern haven. As soon as you enter their place, you're greeted on your left with a big, state-of-the-art kitchen with marble kitchen counters and bar stools to go with it. The apartment has a black and white motif and design. At the leftmost side, you'll see the dining area where there's a big dining table to go with it. There's also a sliding door that leads you to their veranda. Beside the dining area and in front of the kitchen is their living room, complete with a huge flat screen, some comfy sofa, and a nice coffee table. Their bedrooms and common bathroom are located to the right side of the apartment which you have to pass by a hallway. Quinn said that they have their own bathrooms mainly because it had been a source of a lot of fights before. The hair pulling kind because Santana would usually empty out her hair care products. Or the other way around.

So back to Santana who hates studying. Our Crim Law reviewer group was seated at the living room while the other group's situated at the dining area. Tina, Rachel, and I were studying and discussing cases about Penal Clauses when we noticed that Santana was only watching television on mute.

"Aren't you going to study, Santana?" Tina mutters curiously.

"Nah." Santana yawns at her statement with her attention still glued to the flat screen.

"Are you sure? Maybe we should all discuss this for our reviewer. This is a particularly confusing topic." Rachel cries out.

"I'm fine, Hobbit." The Latina utters. "I'll study some other time." _She just read it one time. Half an hour before class._ She then turns off the television and stands up. "I'll be in my room when you girls are finished talking about that and ready to make the reviewer. Imma take a nap first." Santana tells us and walks to her bedroom while we're all left to look questioningly at each other.

"Quinn says that Santana hates studying. So, it's fine." Rachel's says matter-of-factly.

Rachel was right about that. Now that I've come to realize it, I've barely seen her study when we're with each other. She usually just watches some bad reality show on television, plays some games on her phone or ipad, or simply sleep. Santana only studies a few hours before class or mostly when she's waiting for me while I get ready for class. Or as she says, whenever she feels like it. Yet she's always the best when it comes to recitation and selflessly never fails to give you the right answer whenever you ask her anything or to clarify something. That awesomely smart.

What else? Oh! Santana doesn't eat desserts and lives on coffee. That girl must drink a barrel of coffee a day. I learned that when we were studying,_ actually I was studying_, at my place for the first time together. We just finished eating some Chinese take-out from my favorite place two blocks away which also happens to be Santana's favorite as well when I craved for something sweet. I suddenly remembered that Rachel brought home some leftover chocolate cake from Adam's last night. So, I got up slowly and went to get it from the refrigerator.

"Hey San, want some cake?" I tell her excitedly with a grin. And yes, we're on a nickname basis now.

She just finished throwing our trash and grabbed herself a cup of coffee when she looked at me with a smile and shakes her head. "Thanks, Britt. But nope."

I pout in disappointment as I grab a small plate and fork for me then walked back to the table. "Why? Are you full already? Come on, just one slice." I tell her with a wide grin.

I greedily grabbed myself a big slice and put it on my plate. I look up to see Santana chuckling at me looking amused. "I think that's not enough for you. Grab a bigger one." She jests and I playfully roll my eyes at her while I sink my teeth into the first bite. "Oh gosh. This is so good. Come on, just one bite." I tell her while eating another forkful again.

Santana raised both of her hands and grins. "I don't eat desserts."

I looked at her curiously and raised one of my eyebrows. "What? Why? But that's the best part of eating!"

She laughed as she stood up to get our stuff. "I don't know. I just don't like sweet stuff."

I gasped at her statement but I let it go. I'll find out soon. I just thought that, you know, more cake for me right now. Which happened since I grabbed two more slices while I studied.

And one more before I slept.

Another one for breakfast.

* * *

It's my second week with her now and I've come to learn more about Santana. Especially the obvious fact, since she's gorgeous and all, that Santana's quite the Casanova.

I was studying for my Contracts class while Santana's watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills at her place when she suddenly got hungry. Or was it me?

"Hey B, I'm craving for some pizza. Up for it?" I tried to hide the smile when she called me by that nickname.

"Sure."

"What do you usually order?"

"Pepperoni's my favorite." I tell her while glancing at the television to see women with plastic surgery enhanced noses fight with each other.

"Awesome. That's my favorite, too!" She tells me enthusiastically and excuses herself to call for delivery. I go back to reading when suddenly, the phone rings. I look back to where Santana went and called her but notice that she didn't hear it. Must be in her room. This ain't my place and it would be very disrespectful for me to answer the phone for her without permission, so I just let it ring and go back to reading while waiting for her to come back. When the ringing stopped, I heard a beep. A husky voice with a Russian accent immediately followed it. I wasn't supposed to listen but I had no choice. Or maybe I was just curious.

"Santana, this is Natasha." The woman trails off. This Natasha has a really thick accent. "I have some vodka here that maybe you would like to lick off my..." I looked up with amusement and a little shock from the voice mail to see Santana pushing a button on the phone and sporting a shocked face as well as looking at me with wide eyes.

I break the ice and smirk. "I called you but you were busy."

"Uh.. Y-yeah. Pizza's on its way." She shyly mutters without looking at me.

"You might want to call her back." I silently muttered while pretending to read. "Natasha with the vodka." I imitated with a Russian accent and snickered when I noticed that she blushed while going back to sit on the couch and watch more of her show.

That wasn't the last time that happened.

Sometimes we were alone, sometimes our group's together. It usually happens when we've just entered her place. However, her embarrassment is all the same.

"Santana? It's Millie. Wanna come over? I have this idea about eating on the dining table, if you know what I mean."

"Hey, it's Victoria. I know you're dying to know what's my secret."

My favorite is this one though.

"Hey, Santana. I'm alone right now. Wanna hook up? You don't have to remember my name, I promise."

Wow. Santana really gets around. Makes me wonder when's the last time I got laid. Okay. Enough happy thoughts. Or frustrated thoughts. And no, I am not jealous at all.

"Don't worry, that's normal. One time, I opened the door to see a girl wearing a Catwoman costume then Santana.." Quinn chimes in nonchalantly when Rachel, Santana, and I were at their place before getting cut off.

"Shut up, Q! That's it. We're changing our number." Santana mutters and we all laugh at her embarrassed face.

* * *

The best part of our time together though is the teasing. Mostly from me. Her reaction just totally makes my day. I love making puns or taunting her about every little thing. There were times that I would tease her from the smallest of things. Like when we're hungry.

"Hey, Britt?"

"Yeah?" I look up from my book to see her standing in front of their huge fridge.

"I'm hungry. What do you want to eat?"

"You."

She looks at me in shock and surprise.

"M-me?"

"Yeah. You." I tell her seductively with a smirk.

"U-uh.."

I chuckle at her and smile. "I mean, you decide. It's up to you." I'm laughing so hard at the back of my mind now. I glance at Santana's face to see that her reaction is between disappointment and relief.

"I knew that." Santana huffs and I giggle at her antics.

* * *

Another instance is when we're studying alone. Actually studying.

"So, you're saying that the contract in Fifty Shades of Grey is valid? That's absurd, Santana."

"I'm not sure. I mean, they were already doing the clauses on the contract mutually and willingly. It would be redundant if they still signed it."

"So, you're saying that if you made a contract which provides that I need to have sex with you for two whole weeks but we were already three days into doing it consecutively, signing it would be redundant?"

"W-what?" Santana stutters nervously. Again.

"Okay." I come closer to her and maintain eye contact while she visibly tenses. "Let's say that I made a contract requiring you to have sex with me on every flat surface of this apartment. However, we were already halfway into doing it all over this place when you presented that contract. So, you think that signing that would be redundant?" I smirk at her and quirk my eyebrows.

"Uh.. Y-yeah?"

"I think that's absurd. You see, if ever that contract does exist, I'd still sign it since it would mean that we'll just get to do it all over again. I'd even revise the contract to include non-flat surfaces." I end with a wink as she bites her lips. It took me all I had not to attack and jump her at that moment. She's just so hot!

"Good example." Santana replied as she cleared her throat. We went back to awkwardly studying for the next hour or so.

* * *

Another instance, one of my favorites actually, is when Santana went to my place late at night.

"Hey, I'm sorry it's late." She says looking at the floor upon opening my door carrying a backpack. "Do you think maybe I can stay here for the night?"

I was surprised at first but then again, we were friends now and I'd love to help out one in need. "Yeah, sure. Come in." No one's really asked to sleep over before, so out of curiosity. I asked. "What happened?"

"Oh, it was horrendous!" Santana cries out while taking a seat on the couch. "I just got home from a swim when I saw one of the most traumatizing scenes in my life!"

"What is it?"

"I saw Quinn and Berry having sex on the kitchen counter!" Santana cries out while covering her face with her hands. My eyes widen at her statement out of shock and amusement. "It was terrifying! I mean, I saw the action as soon as I entered the door! Oh God! The abomination!" I laugh at her reaction and went to get her and myself a glass of water.

"Why? Have you never had sex before?" I tease her with a smirk as I hand her the glass.

"W-what? Of course, I have." Santana mutters while blushing.

"Well then. It's no biggie. Let's just leave the kids to explore." I tell her with a wink. "So, since you're sleeping over. You have the choice of the couch or my bed." I motion to my bedroom. "My bed's more ideal though." I add with a smirk and she blushes.

After cleaning herself, she shuffles to my bedroom wearing only shorts and a tank top which sparked a sensation between my legs. I was wearing the same thing and I noticed that we're awkwardly checking out the other.

"So.." Santana trails off while clasping her hands together nervously. "How do you sleep?" I see that her eyes are darted to my bed.

"Well, I tend to sleep in the middle." I tell her seductively. I see her gulp heavily while blushing.

"O-okay. I guess I'll sleep on the couch."

"Or you can sleep with me." I tease her big time and point to the bed. I look at her and see that she might be on the verge of a stroke or something.

"I.. Uh.." She looks so adorable stuttering.

"Oh, Santana." I tell her with a wink. "Make yourself at home. I'm good here." I add as I lay on the left side of the bed and try to get comfortable. She hesitantly does the same. I turn off the lamp on my nightstand and look at Santana one last time to see that she's staring at me. _Aha!_ She looks a bit surprised at being caught but I brush it off and smile at her.

"Goodnight, San." I try to hold off her stare.

"Goodnight, Britt." She replies after a few seconds with a small smile and turns on the other side. I do the same after a moment.

I had the best sleep that night since moving to Cambridge.

* * *

Anyway, I could fill you in on more events but it's basically almost just the same as all my relentless teasing. There was this one one instance that pissed me off really bad though.

I had just finished a shift at Adam's and Santana was done studying for the day as well. We agreed to go back to her place and start on the Crim reviewer since we were lagging behind. As we were walking to the entrance of her building, a woman just appeared out of nowhere and jumped on Santana.

"Oh, Santana! I missed you! How come you never called me back?!" This blonde woman tells Santana who's clearly surprised with what's happening.

"W-who-" Santana was cut off by the blonde woman kissing her. Now this is the part where I should just go back and walk away to give them privacy. Right?

Not!

I am not ashamed to say that I pushed the woman angrily away from Santana. And yes, she screamed like a bitch.

"What the fuck? Who the fucking hell is this Santana?!" The blonde chick points to me. "I thought we had something special?!"

"Look Ari, the-"

"It's Amy! For fuck's sake!"

"Hey!" I speak up and the both of them looks at me. "You have caused enough trouble here and you're drunk, miss! Go home before we call the cops on you!"

"Shut up, Blondie! Just because you're fucking my Santana doesn't mean that you can talk to me like that!"

"I am not yours and don't fucking shout at her! You need to go!" Santana angrily says so and motions to the doorman of her building.

It took a few minutes to calm down the woman until she finally left. We were still outside and trying to recover from what just transpired when Santana touched my arm.

"You okay? I'm sorry for that." She tells me with sincerity in her eyes. A thousand butterflies are flying all around my stomach now.

"I'm fine." I tell her with a wave of my hand. "Everyone has a crazy ex. Or in your case, a hook up." I add with a tease and she rolls her eyes at me as she gestures us slowly inside her building.

"I find it hard to believe that you have one. But since you're the complete package, I'm sold."

I blush at her statement. "Oh, believe me. I do." I tell her and we both chuckle.

Oh, and I wasn't jealous. Not. At. Freaking. All.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

The past two weeks have been cray. I can tell that Brittany's having the time of her life teasing me and shit. Oh gosh, that woman is... I don't know how to describe her! She's nice for one second then be this sexy seductress the next. Just. Wow. Also, she's been nothing but appreciative of my help and I like that. She's the kind of person who never fails to say Please and Thank You to everyone and everything. And I find that endearing.

We've been spending a lot of time together and because of that, I've gotten to know her well and we've gotten extremely closer. Like for one instance, I've discovered that she has a generally insatiable appetite and extremely sweet tooth. In short, she loves to eat a lot. The type wherein she eats for two during breakfast and just can't get enough of her sweets. Brittany even spoils her dinner by eating ice cream.

"Santana, I had some food delivered!" She screams from the living room at her place.

"What the-?" I cut myself off because as soon as I got a glimpse of everything, I was in awe of how much it was. Burrito, tacos, burgers, fries, even jellybeans. "Is anybody else coming?"

"I don't think so. It's just us." She grins at me.

Brittany ate more than half of everything. Including dessert. She even developed this cute tummy after eating. The next day though, I can tell from Brittany's fit shirt that her abs are that still pretty much intact. I don't even know where she puts it. I mean, she hardly ever works out and never goes on a diet while after eating two slices of cake, I'd have to kill myself during a workout.

What else? Oh! Brittany has a really fat cat named Lord Tubbington, or Tubbs as she likes to call it. Every now and then, they talk on Skype. Like a legit conversation. At first, it was weird when she opened the conversation with me but when she actually did the act, I had no words for it. No one will believe me when I'd tell them I know a real cat whisperer. I grew accustomed to it and even found the act fascinating since the cat meows back at her.

"Hey, Tubbs! Have you eaten already?" Brittany mutters through her laptop.

"Meow." The cat mumbles back as it tries to touch the screen.

"Have you been smoking cigars again? You know that's bad for you!" The cat tries to hide its face away from the camera.

Just unbelievable.

* * *

Alright. I guess the part you've all been waiting to hear is Brittany's teasing, right? Yes, people. I have been dying from embarrassment, blushing, and any other thing in between. It's been a roller coaster lately. Like yesterday.

I've arrived at Brittany's place earlier than usual to fetch her since we had plans to make our reviewer for the whole day.

"She's still asleep. Would you like some coffee?" Rachel mutters as she opens the door for me. I nod and thank her while she goes back to the dining table where she's eating probably something vegan again.

I just sit in their sofa where I usually wait for Brittany. Since she's still asleep, I figured that I might as well study and catch up even if I don't have class today.

"So..." Rachel sits on the sofa and settles the coffee in front of me. "What's going on with you and Britt?" She adds with a grin.

"What are you talking about? We're just friends."

"Sure you are. That's what they all say before a couple embarks on a sapphic journey with each other towards the Amazonian rainbow." Rachel cries out with a bunch of dramatic gestures.

"I have no idea what that means." I tell her dumbfounded.

"Maybe you should ask her out, you know. You two have been at this tease and subtle flirting thing for as long as I can remember."

"Look, Hobbit." I tell her as I raise the coffee in my hand. "I appreciate all this but there's nothing going on with me and her." _Yes, there is._ I add and drink my coffee but immediately winced at the taste of it. "The fuck?"

"Oh, it's vegan. All organic." She says with a grin plastered on her face. I just placed the coffee down on the table and remind myself never to drink or eat anything Rachel's going to offer me. Ever. "Well, Columbus Day is coming in a few days and we won't have classes for almost a week. Do you have any plans?"

I think about it for a moment. I really don't have any plans but seeing that I haven't seen my parents for a while now, the idea of surprising them with my presence seems like a good idea.

"I might come home and visit my parents. How about you? Going back to Israel?" I smirk and chuckle at her expression of hurt.

"I am from the United States of America, Santana." Rachel cries out. "As a matter of fact, I'm coming home to visit my gay dads, as well. And I'm bringing Quinn to meet them." She adds with a beaming smile and I desperately try to hide a grin while I nod.

"You girls are serious, huh?" I raise my eyebrow while I stick out my bottom lip and cross my arms.

"I'd like to think. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

I think back to my conversation with Quinn saying the exact same line Rachel said which amused me. "Just don't torture Quinn in your underground lair of Academy Awards and Barbra Streisand memorabilia." I tell her with a chuckle and she just kept silent with a serious face.

"We do not use our Oscar room for such violent acts, Santana." _Oh shit._ They really do have an Oscar room.

"Uh.. Well, anyway, how about Brittany? Is she coming home with you?" I try to change the topic and Rachel does a pout.

"No, I don't think so." She lowers her gaze looking disappointed.

I was supposed to say something else when Brittany's door opens and she comes out only wearing an over-sized shirt that stops just under her underwear. I fear for the worse that she must have somebody else inside but seeing that Berry never mentioned anything, I calmed down instantly. I look back at Rachel only to see that she wasn't anywhere to be found. _Damn, that girl._

Brittany must not have sensed my presence because she's humming and dancing cutely like literally no one's watching or maybe she doesn't care at all while grabbing the cereal. Yes, I did catch a bit of a glance of her orange underwear. _What? Sue me for not calling her attention. _It must have been a complete minute before she noticed me.

"Oh my gosh!" Brittany holds her hand to her chest while staring at me in surprise. "You scared me, San. Why didn't you tell me you were just over there?"

_Because you look really sexy and I didn't want to interrupt myself? _"Uh.. You just look busy." _What a lame excuse, Lopez._

Then out of the blue, Brittany smirks and licks the milk out of her fingers. I'm telling you, I almost exploded from that image. "You like what you see?"

_Oh, yes. _"I.. Uh.."

She comes closer to me and gives me a very seductive look. "I said.." Brittany stops in front of me. "Do you like wha- Ouch!"

Brittany accidentally hits the coffee table with her knees. I stand up and laugh at her face while she's squinting her eyes at me as if she's going to murder me.

"This is not funny, Santana!" Brittany cries out while massaging her knees.

"Yes, it is." I reply back and it must have been a few seconds before my laughter died down. I break the ice and smirk. "The doctor said not to abuse the use of your foot too much yet, right? Just because you're better now, doesn't mean you can leap or run already."

She tries to stand up carefully before looking back at me. "Yes, mother." Brittany huffs and I smirk at her failed attempt to seduce me once again. "I'll be right out." She adds as she stomps back to her room while I'm just freaking amused.

* * *

It's Wednesday and our Contracts class just ended. Everyone from our block is hurrying to get out of the room since we won't have class for the whole week anymore seeing that Columbus Day is tomorrow and that there are no classes on Friday as well. Administrative stuff.

"Hey, aren't you coming home for the week?" Kurt mutters beside me while fixing his stuff. We just said goodbye to Chang squared and Mercedes who all have a flight to catch back to Los Angeles.

"I don't know. I'm thinking about it."

"Is this because of Brittany?" He tells me and I stop fixing my stuff to look at him.

"Why would it be about Brittany?" I glance at the blonde to see that she's talking to someone on the phone.

"Maybe it's the fact that you're not sure about leaving her here alone in Cambridge since she just got better and all. You're extremely attached to her." Kurt said with a smirk.

"W-what? Of course not!" I yelped a little too loudly. "This has nothing to do with her." I whisper.

"Oh really? Then go home to Manhattan right now." He whispers back.

We have a standoff for about a second until I sigh deeply and break the eye contact. "Fine. You're right."

"I try." He adds and I just roll my eyes at him as we go back to fixing our stuff.

"Hey guys!" Brittany comes back from her phone call and approaches us. "Rachel just called and Quinn and her just boarded their flight. Are you both going home as well?"

"I am. I have a flight to catch, actually." Kurt speaks up. "I don't know about Santana though. She's weighing her options." I glare and nudge at him at that statement.

"Oh." I look at Brittany to see that she's a little disappointed. Maybe because everyone's leaving.

"Sorry, guys. I have to go now though. The others are waiting for me outside. You girls take care." Kurt mutters as Brittany and I wave goodbye to him.

"So.."

"So.. Wanna have lunch?" I ask Brittany with a smile and her whole face just lightens up.

* * *

The whole campus looked like a ghost town. I can count with my hands and feet combined all the people I've seen so far. So, Britt and I decided to just grab a sandwich from the deli shop around the corner of her place and just eat it at her apartment.

"So, are you coming home?" I asked her while munching my sub.

"Nah, I can't afford it right now." Brittany mutters looking disappointed.

"Oh, that's too bad."

"It's okay, San." Brittany mutters with a smile. "I'm saving up so I can go home on Thanksgiving. I'll be fine."

Then an idea popped into my mind.

"How would you feel about going home with me?" _Uh-oh._

"What?"

"Like coming home with me to New York?" _Are you sure about this, Lopez?_

"Santana, I can't do that. I can't aff-"

"We don't have to spend anything. We can use my frequent flyer miles."_ There is not turning back on this._ I tell her excitedly and stand up from the couch.

"W-what? No, Santana. I don't want to intrude." Brittany tells me with a pout. I sit down beside her and scoot closer.

"You won't be." I mutter as I lift her face by the chin. "I'd be extremely happy if you'll come with me."

She stares at me for a while and if I didn't know any better our faces are getting extremely close to each other.

"Okay then." Brittany cries out with a smile and I'm just ecstatic right now!

"Great!" I shouted a little too loud. "Yeah. Uh.. I'll just take care of a few things so you can pack too and then I'll come back in an hour. Alright?" I cried out when I was practically at the door already.

* * *

I just got back from doing a little packing and making sure that our apartment has been locked and secured, as well as getting us our plane tickets. I also texted Gergerpal aka Pal, that we'll probably be home in an hour or two, so that he can fetch us from JFK. I left my car in the garage and grabbed a cab back to Brittany's place. I'm really excited right now at the idea of Brittany coming home with me. Lots of places to show her around to.

I just got in her apartment building carrying my overnight bag when I got a reply from Pal.

**From Gergerpal:** _Hello Miss Santana! Shud I tell ur mother that ur coming? Hu is dis lady friend of urs? I bet she's pretty!_

I chuckle at the text because Pal and I usually don't talk like this and only just call each other. I think I've never texted him until now.

**To Gergerpal:** _Hey pal, nope it's a surprise. her name's brittany and she's really pretty. i'll just text you again when we get on the plane. thanks. :)_

Something is definitely wrong with me. I'm not usually this chirpy and nice to Pal. Anyway, I knocked at Brittany's door and as soon as she opened it, I saw her change into a simple yellow dress that perfectly compliments her blue eyes while having her hair down. I shake my head to get myself out of the daze I was in and put my overnight bag on the floor.

"You look beautiful, Britt." I tell her with a grin.

"Thanks, San. You're not so bad yourself." She smiles back at me and we have a moment again before I decided to break it off.

"Well, we gotta now or we'll miss our flight."

She nods and grabs her luggage. We went to check that everything was locked before going downstairs and hailing a cab. As soon as we got to the airport, Brittany and I just narrowly missed the last call when we boarded it.

"Wow, first class?" Brittany cries out.

"I try." I smirk and try to get comfortable in my seat as I see Brittany do the same.

As soon as the flight attendants proceed with their usual thing, I close my eyes for a moment and smile at the thought that Brittany's coming home with me then meet my parents.

_Brittany's coming home with me then meet my parents._

My eyes opened immediately.

Oh shit.

* * *

**Thoughts?**


	9. Chapter 9

**\- Santana POV -**

Holy shit. Oh my fucking god.

Alright. Deep breaths, Lopez. You can do this.

Brittany's going to meet my parents in a little while and it's scaring the crap out of me.

Anyway, I gotta keep my calm. I got this shit. Gotta focus my thoughts on something else.

"Hey, San. You okay?" Brittany tells me and I jolted in surprise. We've just arrived in New York and are now waiting for our luggage.

"W-what? Yeah, I'm good. I'm fine." I reply back all flustered. "So, you said you've been to New York, right?" I added after clearing my throat.

"Yeah. I have once. About four years ago."

"Have you been to Central Park and all the other places?" I asked her and she shakes her head with a smile. "Alright then, so I'm going to be your tour guide for this trip." I add complete with the tour guide accent. _Oh gosh. Why do I act like this whenever I'm around her?_

"You're such a dork." Brittany looks at me and gives me a sweet smile. _Huh. No teasing?_

"Which tour are we talking about though? New York or your room?" She adds with a smirk. _There it is._

I feel the red creeping into my cheeks while I grab my overnight bag from the line of luggages. I don't know how much more I can take of this until a brilliant idea popped into my mind. "You know, you've been teasing me relentlessly for these past few weeks."

"Why? Watcha gonna do about it? Huh?" Brittany adds imitating a not-so-scary gangster.

"I don't know. Maybe do the same and tease you right back?"

"Like you can beat me, San."

I look at her and give a smirk. "Sure I can, Britt. Wanna bet on it?"

Brittany squints her eyes at me. "Oh, you're on. What's the stitch?"

"Wait, did you just quote Kim Possible?"

"The rules, Santana. Get your head in the game!" _High School Musical._ This girl really loves her Disney. Uh.. Quinn likes Disney too that's why I know them.

"Alright." I tell Brittany as I point to her luggage. "Point system. For every tease that the other has no comeback on, you'll get a point. Whoever accumulates the most points for the whole trip wins."

"Cool. What's the prize?" Brittany mutters as she gets her luggage and we proceed to walk towards the area where Pal is going to meet us.

"Loser gets to buy the winner dinner at Breadstix back in Cambridge."

"Sounds fair." Brittany nods. "Are you sure this isn't one of your ways to just ask me out?"

"W-what? No!" I shout a little too loudly.

"Relax. I'm just teasing you." Brittany chuckles. "Better bring your A game if you want those unlimited breadsticks." She adds with a wink.

Those breadsticks really are the epitome of food heaven. As we reach the exit, I see Pal waving at us outside with the car ready.

"Hello Miss Santana! Hello to you too Miss!" He greets us with his Indian accent and Brittany waves back.

"Britt, this is Gergerpal." I pause to look at her reaction. Waiting if she'll laugh at Pal's face like I did before but to my surprise, there was none. Instead she smiles and holds out her hand. _Wow. Really?_ "Pal, this is Brittany."

"It's nice to meet you, Pal."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Miss Brittany!" He smiles back as he shakes her hand politely. "Let me help you ladies with your luggage." Pal adds as he proceeds to take our stuff to the trunk of the car.

"So, deal?" I turn my attention to Brittany once more and hold out my hand for her to shake.

"Deal." She mutters with a smirk as she takes my hand in hers and shakes it. "I'm coming for you, Lopez." Brittany adds while squinting her eyes at me once again.

I chuckle at her subtle threat and open the door of the car for her. "Oh, you'll be screaming that at the top of your lungs soon, Pierce. Soon." I tell her seductively in a whisper with a devilish grin and wink. I glance at Brittany to see that she immediately blushes at my remark leaving her speechless as she enters the car. Aha!

What can I say? Still got it, bitches.

Lopez - 1, Pierce - 0

* * *

"Where are we right now exactly?" Brittany asks while looking around.

"Upper West Side."

"Really? I assumed that you live at the Upper East Side or something."

"You watch way too much tv. And besides, we're not snobby like some of them. We prefer to live simpler."

"So, no Chuck and Blair? Grand parties? Limos and snobby rich kids?"

"Britt, this isn't Gossip Girl."

"Xoxo, Santana Lopez?" Brittany quips and I internally laugh at her antics.

It's just a little before 5pm when we arrived in front of our apartment building. As soon as Pal opened the door for us, I got out of the car and immediately got excited because it's been a few months since I came home to New York.

"Wow, this looks grand!" Brittany exclaims beside me looking at our apartment building.

"It's alright." I tell her nonchalantly with a smile. "Let's go inside!"

"Wait, what about our stuff?"

"Don't worry about that, Pal's got it."

"I got it!" Pal screams from behind the car sporting a grin.

We proceed to enter the complex and were immediately greeted by several familiar faces who work in the building. As soon as we got in the elevator, I press the code for the penthouse.

"What a surprise." Brittany mutters sarcastically and I reply by playfully rolling my eyes at her.

When the elevator doors opened, we were instantly greeted by a small hallway draped with brown walls and a red carpet all leading up to the front door. When we got to it, I punched a series of numbers again and opened the door for Brittany with a grin.

As soon as you enter our apartment, you're immediately faced by glass walls, all overlooking the Upper West Side. You can even see Central Park from here. It's a two-story penthouse. The living room is located at the front side with a grand piano in it. The kitchen is in another room which is connected to our dining area with a big oak table. All the bedrooms are located upstairs. The whole penthouse is designed with a black and white minimalist motif.

"Mija!" My head immediately directs it attention to my front from the living room to see that my parents are there. My dad who's playing the grand piano while my mother who looks like she's playing the crossword again. The voice came from my mother who approaches me and gives me a really tight hug while wearing a toothy grin. "Oh, your father and I missed you both so much!"

"Mami!" I return the hug back and see that my father is grinning like crazy too. When my mother let go, it was my dad's turn to hold out both of his arms and gestures me to give him a hug which I did with a tight one. "My Santanita." He mutters.

"I missed you both so much too!" I let go of my father and stand directly in front of them. "I didn't even expect that you guys would be home already."

"Well, a little bird by the name of Gergerpal told us that we should go home early today because someone's coming home." My mom cries out and chuckles. _So much for a surprise._

"Sorry, I'm not sorry!" I heard a faint voice from the kitchen and we all shake our heads with a smile.

"And who is this beautiful girl with you, Santanita?" My father asks curiously._ Oh, shit._ I almost forgot Britt for a minute there. I look at the blonde who's giving a shy smile while slightly leaning her head down.

"Mija! Where are your manners?" Mama L shouts playfully.

"I.. Uh.. Mami, Papi, this is my friend Brittany." I gesture towards Brittany. "Britt, these are my parents."

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Lopez. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Santana won't stop talking about the both of you back in Cambridge." Brittany raises her hand for a handshake.

I look at my parents and see that they're sporting a shocked expression and even stared for a second at each other. Brittany's smile faltered at the sight of this and as she slowly retracts her hand, my mother envelops her in a hug. _Now, I'm shocked._

"Oh dear, a handshake is too formal. And please call me Maribel." The older Lopez exclaims with a genuine grin while holding Brittany's arm on both sides. The blonde's smile grew wider now. "This is my husband, Richard." She motions to my father who holds out his hand for Brittany to shake and the latter giddily takes it while my father envelops her hand with both of his. "It's nice to meet you too, Brittany."

"We're sorry about earlier. It's just that.. Santana's never really brought home a girlfriend before. And a really stunning one at that, I might add." My mom nods to herself. "So, this is all foreign to us."

"Mami! We're just friends!" I exclaim and I suddenly feel all red from embarrassment. I look at Brittany who's also blushing a bit. _At the girlfriend comment or stunning comment? Hmm.._

"Mija, don't talk too soon, you might bite your tongue." My mother adds disregarding my previous statement while still looking at Brittany.

"Again. Forgive us, Brittany." My dad cries out.

"No worries, Mr. Lopez." The blonde waves her hand in disregard.

"Richard would be just fine. Or Papa L." He chuckles and instantly drapes his arms over my mom's shoulders. Brittany then replies by nodding with a grin at them.

A sudden silence passed with my parents awkwardly looking back at forth at Brittany and me with a wide smile, so I decided to cut the situation.

"So.. Brittany and I will just unpack and get settled for the weekend then freshen up a little." I cried out and the awkward situation we were in a while ago disappeared.

"Are you sharing a room?" My mom smirks at me.

"Uh.. I don't think that would be necessary. We have a lot of rooms here, Mami." I reply back while raising an eyebrow at my mother.

"Okay, Mija. It's up to you." She adds mischievously before turning her attention to the blonde. "Brittany, please help yourself to anything and by all means, feel at home." The older Lopez adds with a grin.

"I will. Thank you, Maribel." The blonde replies.

"Make yourself comfortable, Brittany. Dinner will be ready in a while. See you girls later." My father exclaims and we just nod.

We walk back to our respective rooms. Actually, our rooms are just in front of each other. We then say our short-lived goodbyes. _Yes, call me a little melodramatic._

"I win ten dollars! I told you that girly is blonde like the singer Hit Me One More Time, Baby!" I heard a distinct voice with an accent coming from the living room and some groaning that immediately followed.

"There was no bet to start with, Pal!" A woman's voice shouts back.

I shake my head in disbelief as I enter my old room.

* * *

"So, Brittany." My mother trails off. "Where did you say you were from?" My father is seated beside me on my right, top of the table while my mom is across from me and Brittany is beside me on my left. Dinner had just been served and we're handing each other the mashed potatoes and chicken.

"Chicago." Brittany replies while handing me the bread.

"I see, and you graduated from there?"

"Oh no, Maribel. I graduated from Princeton. Economics." She shyly mutters.

"She's big time there, mom. Brittany graduated summa cum laude and won a bunch of accolades. She's even the top student to graduate in her batch." I mutter proudly and I look at Brittany blushing beside me.

"Wow, that really is something to be proud of." My father nods in approval.

"I agree. Your parents must be extremely proud of you. What did you say your surname was, my dear?" My mother asks with a grin.

"Pierce." Brittany almost whispered her answer while looking down at her food.

My mother squints her eyes at her as if she's thinking about something. "As in, Jonathan and Susan Pierce?"

Brittany then chokes at her food causing her to cough. She hastily drinks her water before looking back at my mother with a smile.

"You're right. I can see the resemblance." My father exclaims. "How are your parents?" I look at them both staring at Brittany who is staring at her food nervously. "They're doing good, sir." The blonde whispers while giving a quick glance to the folks.

"What? Who?" I ask both of them.

My mother's stare lingers at Brittany for a while before looking back at me with a smile. "Nothing, Mija. I just happened to have worked with her parents from.. a long time ago."

"Oh, really? That's nice." I add while chomping down my chicken. I look at Brittany who glances up to give my mother a shy smile and the latter nods in reply. _There is some serious psychic connection going on here._

"So, Brittany, how is my Santanita doing in Law School?" My dad grins while looking at Brittany.

The blonde finally smiles and takes a quick glance at me. "She's alright. Santana's one of the best in our batch."

"Is that right, Mija?" He asks with his ever growing grin.

"Maybe?" I reply dumbfounded while chewing the veggies in my mouth.

"We're just really proud of Santana, Brittany." My mother tells me and my heart just melted with happiness. _Who doesn't want to hear that from their parents?_

"So, do you girls have any plans for your weekend trip?"

Brittany and I both look at each other. I realized that I didn't really plan this trip at all. I just hopped on a plane with Brittany and hoped for the best. Luckily, my father was more ready than I am.

"I thought so too." He chuckles and stands up to grab something from the other room while Brittany and I just look at each other questioningly. After a few seconds, Papa L comes back holding four tickets.

"Here are two tickets to Rodger and Hammerstein's Cinderella on Broadway tomorrow night, courtesy of your mother." He looks at my mother with a grin and the latter looks at us with the same expression. "And these other two tickets are court side passes to Friday's game, courtesy by yours truly."

My head perks up at the last statement. "Knicks?"

My dad nods with a smirk.

"Against?"

"Bulls."

"Hey, that's my team!" Brittany exclaims.

"That's my team, too. Since MJ!" My mother cries out in which Brittany and her exchange a toothy grin.

"I think we have some weak competition here, Papi."

"Oh, bring it on, 'Santanita'." Brittany replies with a smirk. I was supposed to make a comeback when I suddenly feel a hand in my thigh. I look down to see that it's Brittany's and she's giving me a devilish smirk which left me a little speechless.

There was a tension in the room filled with silence. It must have been a few seconds until they all roared with laughter.

"Oh, I like you already, Brittany. You've actually managed to shut Santana up." Mami exclaims.

"I second the motion. I believe you've met your match, Santanita." Dad chimes in and I'm left blushing.

Brittany comes closer to me then whispers seductively in my ear. "1-1, San." Pertaining to our bet earlier. I gulped heavily and drank more water.

* * *

Brittany and I thanked my parents for the tickets and talked some more while we ate. We told them about Quinn and Berry, which we got teased in return after. The blonde was particularly excited about watching Cinderella. I promised to take her to all the other places in New York throughout our stay. Starting with Central Park and the Empire State Building tomorrow.

After dinner, we decided to just kick back in the living room. My father playing the piano while the two of them would sing along. I noticed that my parents were particularly fond of Brittany. The three of them had been laughing and sharing stories nonstop so far.

"That's Santana dressed up as Uncle Jesse for Halloween when she was a little girl." My mother points to a picture while showing Brittany a photo album.

"Did you know by then that she was gay?" She asks innocently.

"No, my dear. But I wasn't surprised that she was a lady lover when she came out. I once caught her kissing another girl back in her teens."

"No way! And what did you do?"

"I didn't confront her about it yet. I figured that she wasn't ready. But I was glad that she's able to experience things normally like any other person."

"Wow, that's really nice of you, Maribel."

"Hello? I'm just right here, guys." I exclaim while reading a magazine and rolling my eyes at the both of them who we're giggling like kids.

My mother smiles genuinely at Brittany before innocently placing a hand on her thigh. "How about you, dear? Did your parents know?" I can see that Brittany was taken aback and gave my mother a questioning expression. "Oh, call it maternal instinct." My mothers adds with a grin.

Brittany does the same before answering. "Well, they claim that they've always known since I was little. So, coming out was really never a problem because they've been really supportive of me."

"I see. Your parents have always been sincere and accepting. They're probably the kindest couple Richard and I have ever met." Mama L tells Brittany and the latter just gives out a small smile. Their conversation piqued my interest. Brittany never mentioned anything about her parents to me before. I just assumed that it was a sore spot.

"Anyway.." Mother trails off as she clears her throat. "Are you dating anyone right now, dear?" I didn't miss the way Mama L's eyes flickered into mine. And yes, it my attention was all on them now.

"Uhmm.. I'm not." _Yes! Uh.. I mean, cool. That's cool, girl._

"How about that?" My mother looks at me. "Santana's not dating anyone too. Right, Mija?" She adds with a smirk.

"Mami!" I exclaim a little too loud.

"What? I was just asking." Mama L raises her eyebrows at me.

I sunk into my chair and hold the magazine I was reading in front of my face to hide the blush I was sporting. "No, I'm not dating anyone."

"Ooh.. What a coincidence." Mama L cries out. I realized that I've never asked Brittany that question before. Maybe because it would be too obvious if I did. I'm glad that I know that now though._ Oh yeah!_

"Well, it's getting a little late. So, I think we should call it a night." I cry out while stretching.

"I agree. I have an early shift tomorrow at the hospital and Maribel has a meeting as well. But we'll be home tomorrow early." My father cries out.

"Cool then. See you tomorrow morning, Mami, Papi." I give them both a kiss on the cheek and start walking towards our rooms while clutching Brittany's arms.

"Goodnight!" Brittany shouts back as I practically drag her away.

"So, breakfast somewhere tomorrow then I'll tour you a bit. Watcha say?" I ask Brittany when we're in front of our respective doors.

"I'd love to." She replies with a wide grin.

My brain must have lagged a bit at the image. "Well, uhmm.. Goodnight, Britt."

"Goodnight, San. See you in the morning." Brittany winks at me before going inside the room.

It must have been a few minutes until I felt my jaw hurt. Turns out I've been smiling like an idiot for some time now after entering my room. I sit down on the edge of my bed and look around in my room. Nothing has been changed or moved since the last time I was here. Suddenly, my phone rings and I glance at it to see Quinn calling me.

"You're still alive. That's a surprise." I tease her through the receiver.

"Brittany's with you in New York?! Why didn't you tell me?! Oh my god! Are you guys doing something right now?!" Quinn shouts in a continuous sentence while I lift the phone out of my ear a little.

"Calm down, Q!" I tell her when she finally shuts her mouth. "It was a spur of the moment thing. I didn't want her to be alone back in Massachusetts."

"Uh-huh. Let's pretend I believe that and I'm fully convinced that you don't like her at all. How did Maribel and Richard react?"

"Well, they were shocked at first. I mean, I haven't really brought a girl home before. But they're like the best of friends now. Really, Q."

"Like, your parents love her?" There was shock and happiness behind her tone.

"Exactly. It's unbelievable."

"Wow. That is something, S." Quinn says not fully believing me.

"Anyway, how's Chicago?"

We proceed to talk about how theatrically inclined Rachel's family is and how very welcoming they are. I also filled Quinn about the latest happenings in New York and Brittany and I's plan for the rest of the weekend.

"So, I gotta go now, S. They're having some party in their Oscar room and there's just a bunch of guests to entertain."

"Yeah, yeah. Bye, Quinn. I hope you're still alive by the end of the week."

"Whatevs, Satan. Love you!"

"Just keep a razor close to you, just in case." I chuckle. "Love you too, Q." And just as I remove the phone from my ear, I hear my name being called out on the other line yet again.

"Hello?" I mumble. "Look, Q. Are you gonna tell me that you love me again? Because if you do, I might interpret it as something else entirely now."

"God, No." She utters as if she's wincing. "I was just going to tell you something before you hang up."

"Well, by all means, just say it!"

"I think it's about time you ask Brittany out on a date."

"W-what?" I reply slightly taken aback.

"Just something for you to think about." And just that, the line on the other end is cut.

I was left gaping by her statement. Am I really that obvious? I tossed and turned on my bed for the next few hours thinking about what Quinn said.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV - **

"You're going to New York?!" Rachel's shouts through the receiver.

"I'm actually already here." I say with my eyes closed while I grind my teeth.

"Wow." Was all she could say. "Well, I'm actually happy you're not alone back in Massachusetts."

"Nah, I would have been fine either way."

"Uh-huh." Rachel mutters unconvinced. "By the way, your parents have been grilling me about you. I told them that I begged you to come home with me, which they believed since we all know you're stubborn. Also, your dad wants to remind you about using your card, so you really don't have to work double shifts and be strapped for money."

I let out a huge sigh. "Yeah. I'll just call them later. Thanks Rach."

"Hey, stop being stubborn. We don't want you to push yourself too much."

"I'll try." I lay down on the bed to see that it's comfortable enough. "So, how's it going with your dads and Quinn?"

Rachel and I talked for a couple more minutes until she got called to prepare for dinner. I glance at the clock to see that I should freshen up first before sleeping. Suddenly, a text message pops out on my phone.

**From Santana:** _I hope the bed's comfy ;)_

I smiled at the brunette's antics and immediately texted back.

**To Santana:** _It is. I was hoping you'd come with it though._

**From Santana:** Y_ou wish, Britt-britt._

I smile at the nickname she gave me. And she was right, I really do wish so. _I mean, it's cool. Like, alright then._

Gosh, I got it bad.

* * *

I almost fainted when I realized that I was going to meet Santana's parents. However, judging by Santana's nervousness back then, I can tell that she felt the same way. Right now though, all doubts are already out the door. Her parents and I have been getting along extremely well ever since we've arrived. _Not that it means anything though._

What else? Ooh! We watched Cinderella on Broadway which was amazing! Her transformation on the stage was really something to look forward to and I think I even cried towards the end when she and the prince finally had their happily ever after. It was just so romantic! Hmm.. Santana also brought me to Central Park where we fed the ducks. That was really fun! She toured me to other places as well as bringing me to eat in famous eateries, like the Snack Shack, Pink's and the like.

It's Friday and Santana and I are having an afternoon snack at this posh café a couple of blocks away from their place.

"So, are your Bulls ready to lose?" Santana cries out with a devilish grin.

"I don't know. At least the Knicks are home, coz they would need all the support they can get after losing the game tonight."

"We'll see about that, Pierce." She quips back and we have another moment of staring at each other before looking down with a smile. After paying, we decide to stroll around.

Santana took me to random places again in New York. It was slightly breezy so I was wearing some tight jeans, a nice fitting shirt, flat shoes, and a cardigan. While Santana opted for the same except that she was wearing a leather jacket. _Did I say she was hot?_

Anyway...

Yesterday, she brought me to the Empire State Building which was really awesome. We even took pictures together and seeing them last night, I can't help but smile at how cute we were. There's this one picture wherein Santana was holding out the phone and just as she was about to click it, a big, burly man pushes me and in return, I was pushed closer to her. It was an adorable candid shot with us looking into each other's eyes. And yes, I kept that picture.

While waiting for our drink in Starbucks and subtly staring at Santana who has her arms crossed right now, it got me thinking about my conversation with Quinn a week ago.

_I was studying in Santana's dining room while the latter volunteered to grab us some dinner because she got bored from watching television. Suddenly, the door opens._

_"That was fast." I shouted without looking up._

_"What was?" A mellow voice shouts back and I look up to see that it was Quinn setting her stuff on the kitchen counter._

_"Oh. Uh.. Sorry. I thought you were Santana."_

_Quinn chuckles as she gets a bottle of water from the fridge and sits on the bar stool in front of her stuff. "Lemme guess, she got bored from watching Honey Boo Boo and decided to walk around and grab dinner." She confidently states while taking a swig of her water._

_I raise both of my eyebrows at how spot-on her guess was. "I've lived with her for five years and been best friends for almost all our lives." Quinn adds and I nod with a smile._

_"Anyway, how's it going with you and Santana?" Quinn asks and my head perks up to see her smirking at me._

_"What do you mean? We're just friends, Quinn."_

_"I know. But both of your actions says otherwise."_

_I stare at her for a moment before speaking. "I guess we just like to play and tease around but that's about it." I tell her with a shrug._

_Quinn stares at me for a bit before getting up and going back to the fridge to grab two more bottles. She then makes her way to me and places both bottles down in front of me._

_"Do me a favor and just ask her out." Quinn cries out with an all-knowing smile._

_"W-what? But we're just friends."_

_"No, you're not. You're not "just friends". We all know it." She confidently says while holding on to the chair in front of me. "You girls obviously like one another with all the eye-fucking and flirting going on. It's about time you act on it."_

_I think about it for a moment and internally agree with Quinn. She doesn't have to know that though._

_"Besides, you'll be doing us all a favor by going on a date. I've never seen Santana so smitten, you know. Or even this nice to anyone."_

_"Really?" I ask with my grin so wide I can feel the muscles stiffen. When I realized what I just said, I cleared my throat instantly. "I mean, that's nice."_

_Quinn grins. "See for yourself, Britt." She winks and proceeds to grab her stuff and walk presumably to her room._

_I was left to stare at nothing when after a few minutes, the door opens again to reveal Santana carrying a paper bag._

_"I hope you like cheeseburgers. I practically stole some guy's order when he wasn't looking since he was a total asshole to everyone in the diner." Santana quips giddily and I laugh at her story. Quinn has a point. Maybe I should ask her out and see how it goes._

"My eyes are up here, Jewfro." The Latina's sharp voice suddenly returns me back to reality. "I ordered for a Caramel Macchiato, not a Peppermint Latte. Plus, my name is not "San Antonio", do I look like Tim Duncan and the fucking Spurs to you, you motherfu-"

"Alright! You heard the woman." I tell the barista while semi-warning him to make it fast. Which he does by moving at a particularly fast pace. After a minute or so, he comes back with our order.

"One caramel macchiato for Satan. Oh. Sorry, uh.. Santana." The nerdy barista looks at the brunette who's glaring as if she's going to murder to him.

"And one iced mocha for Ariana Grande Frappucino?" The barista looks confused at the name. There were also several laughters for those who were close enough to hear.

"That's mine!" I smile at him and grab some change to put in the tip box. Santana then turns her attention to me with a scrunched up face. "Sorry about that. She gets grumpy without her coffee fix." I whisper with a grin. I grab Santana's arm and guide her out of the coffee shop.

"Ariana Grande Frappucino, huh?" Santana cries out while chuckling.

"Come on now, San Antonio. Gregg Poppovich's waiting for you somewhere." I quip back and we laugh as we walk some more.

* * *

The New York crowd erupted when their star player had a basket. Santana kept shouting in amusement as they lead the game 50-37 in the second quarter while I just groan in annoyance that my team is losing.

"So, should I give you a tissue now so you'll be ready when you start crying?" Santana cries out while taking a sip of her beer during the timeout.

"The game's not over, San. We're gonna beat you!"

"Oh yeah? Keep the dream alive, Britt." Santana chuckles and the timeout ends as all the players go back to the court.

After a few shots and misses, the second quarter is finally over with Santana's team only leading by 7.

"Who's the future loser now, huh?" I tell her with a smirk.

"Like you said, the game's not over yet." She replies with a devilish grin.

I lean closer to her. "You might as well give up now, San." I tell her with a smirk as I look into her eyes.

She leans closer to me as well and our faces are just a couple of inches away from each other. Suddenly, I heard a familiar song being played and some loud cheers among the crowd.

"You're sexy when you beg like that." Santana bites her lip and stares back into my eyes. I was supposed to say something else but the crowd surrounding us suddenly cheers loudly.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" A couple of them were cheering.

I look around to see that everyone was staring at us. It was only when I looked up at the Jumbotron that I see Santana and I being shown inside an animated heart.

Uh-oh.

I look back at Santana to see that she was blushing like hell. It must have been only a second or two but the crowd cheered louder for us.

"San, we have to do it!" I yell a little loud of enough for her to hear.

"But Britt, come on! It's just a stupid kiss cam!"

"It's fine. There's nothing to lose. It's all for fun!" I grin back at her.

She looks back at me with a scared expression that slowly turned to that of a smile. In a fit of bravery, I smirk and motion for her to come closer using my pointing finger. She raises her left eyebrow and proceed to lean in towards me as I do the same. I can hear that the cheers were louder than before. I look at Santana who was still hesitant to close the gap, so for lack of a better description, I did.

I grabbed her by the leather jacket she was wearing and pulled her closer to me until our lips touched. Suddenly, all the cheers and shouting were just a vivid static around us. I can tell that she was a little surprised by my actions judging from her sudden tensing but not long after, I felt her visibly relaxing as she closed her eyes and kissed me right back. Her soft lips moving against mine. The kiss was short but romantic. It can only have been another two seconds before we slowly break our kiss and look back into each other's eyes.

As soon as we let go of each other, we found ourselves staring at each other's lips clearly wanting for more. She bites her lower lip and I'm more than tempted to just carry her out of here and have my way with her. It's as if we're in our own little bubble just staring at each other. After a few seconds, Santana suddenly breaks out into one of her signature smiles while looking at me. The toothy grin to be exact. As if the smile wasn't enough, Santana gives out a hearty laugh which melted my heart.

"Get your head in the game before you lose, Britt." Santana cries out while looking at me with a wide grin.

I break out into a big smile as well by seeing how she took our kiss in stride. Needless to say, the game ended with us exchanging subtle longing glances and meaningful smiles at each other.

And Santana was still smiling even if they lost by just one point.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

The ride back home was silent. Fuck. It wasn't even awkward. I was contemplating throughout the whole drive about Quinn's advice. That I should ask Brittany out already. Clearly, I would love to, it's just that I'm afraid that she'll reject my advances. I mean, she's in a whole other level of reach away from me. She's just so smart and stunning. After our kiss, I found myself just wanting for more. I was shocked when Brittany pulled me towards the kiss but I'm pretty glad that she did. Now, I can rewind the moment over and over. I didn't even get in a bad mood after we lost the game. _How about that?_

If I ask her out now, and she'll say yes, that would be great! But what do I do? Where do we go from here? If she says no, then that's a tough blow to bear.

You know what, maybe I'm just overthinking this. I'll just ask her out and see how it goes.

We arrived at my place and are now walking towards our opposite rooms. We stopped in front of our doors and face each other.

"So, this is goodnight, I suppose." I mutter with a tight lipped smile.

"Yeah, I guess." Brittany returns my smile.

"I hope you had fun."

"I-I did. Thanks." She replies looking a little nervous.

We stared at the floor for a couple of seconds as if we're waiting for something. Brittany was the first one to speak up.

"Well, goodnight San." She says with a smile. _Come on, Santana! It's now or never!_

"Y-yeah, Britt. Goodnight." I quip back as I open the door to my room and close it. I lean with my back towards the door. I cover my face with my hands and shake my head. _No, no, no!_

You're a fucking coward, Lopez! This is not your first time to ask someone out, you're not even a fucking virgin yet you're chickening out on yourself! Brittany's a great girl, you're not gonna come across someone like that ever again!

Hey, I'm right! I gotta suck it up and ask Brittany out. I do like her after all!

My body shoots away from the door and I walk around an imaginary circle in the middle of my room thinking what I should say to her. _I can't be a coward anymore._ So, I stomped towards the front. However, as soon as I open it, I see Brittany in front of me who looks like she's just about to knock on my door.

"Oh. Hi Britt." I tell her with both of my eyebrows raised in surprised.

"Do you have psychic powers or something? How'd you know I was about to knock?" She asks me with a scrunched up face.

"W-what? I-"

"Never mind that." Brittany waves her hand and blushes while looking at the ground. "Look, Santana. I just wanted to ask you something before you sleep."

I motion for her to go on as my interest is piqued by her statement. She then looks at me in the eyes.

"Would you like to go out with me? On a date. To dinner. With me. Back in Cambridge. I did say with me, right? Like, just the two of us on a date. Because having other people around would be kind of awkward for a first date." Brittany rambles as if she's talking to no one in particular.

I found the scene extremely cute since I've never seen her nervous before. Brittany's adorable when she's nervous.

Wait. Did she just ask me out?

Holy fucking shit! Brittany asked me out! Apparently, she beat me to it! Oh my god! The butterflies in my stomach are having a rave party right now from happiness!

"Uh.. Santana?" Brittany whispers while looking at me with a pout. I must've been silent a little too much by imagining random things. "If you don't want to, I'd totally understand. Since we're friends and all. Like, tot-"

"I'd love to go out on a date with you, Britt." I reply with a grin and when my words registered with Brittany, she too breaks out into a really big grin.

"Really?!" She shouts a little too loud then clears her throat "I mean, cool! Awesome then." Brittany adds while clearly trying to hide her excitement. "Well, it's getting late now. I don't want to keep you up."

"Yeah. I guess this time's really goodnight then." I tell her with a tight-lipped smile.

"Yep. Goodnight, San." She replies back mirroring my smile as she walks back to her room.

"Britt, wait!"

Her head snaps up to face me and I slowly approach her and place a kiss on her cheeks but more like the corner of her mouth while her body stiffens at my action.

"Goodnight, Brittany." I tell her one last time with a wink and smile as I head towards my room. I lean back against my door as soon as I close it then ran and jumped on my bed. I close my eyes and cover my face with my hands and grin so widely that I thought I broke my jaw or something.

The teasing bet? I don't know and I don't fucking care anymore because I have a freaking date with Brittany Pierce!

* * *

**Xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

**\- Santana POV - **

It's been almost a month and a half and Britt and I still haven't gone to our date.

I've been tempted so many times to just ask her out or maybe follow her up on the offer but we've been so unbelievably swamped with schoolwork. Brittany's foot is fully healed by now, so she doesn't really need my help anymore. And that kinda resulted with us seeing each other less since I don't want to impose my presence all the time. Bummer.

Brittany's been so busy lately. Since she got better, she continued lending a hand as a barista every now and then while still keeping her job as a bookkeeper. I don't know how she does it, though. That woman's like a robot. Everything's she's been doing is on top of studying tons and tons of books. I don't even know if she sleeps.

I don't understand why she's working so hard though. I know she's strapped for money but I don't think she should have to work that hard. To be honest, I find it quite peculiar because everything in their apartment is top of the line stuff. I never asked since she might get offended but judging how opposite Rachel's room and hers is, being that the former's space is so extravagant with all its expensive shit and the latter's incredibly simple and humble. I might have an idea. _Hey, Quinn told me how Rachel's room looks like!_

Anyway, aside from all the busy stuff that we're up to, exams are also nearing which is kinda nerve wracking. I haven't even studied for anything yet or maybe I'm not inspired whenever Brittany's not around which is yes, another total bummer.

It's Wednesday in the middle of the afternoon, my class just finished a few hours ago and here I am sitting in the living room while watching Tyra Banks critique a photo of some poor, naive girl when my phone rings. I feel around the couch for my phone and smile a little when I see that it's my mother calling. Lately, I've just been thinking about a bunch of stuff to do with them and the Fabrays next week on Thanksgiving since we all spend it together and almost every holiday.

"Hello, Mother." I mutter jokingly upon answering while turning down the volume of our television.

"Santana! How is my only child?" She replies albeit with a sad tone. I immediately sit up straight because having memorized all my parents' reaction and tones, it can't be good.

"Oh no. Something's wrong. What is it, Mami?"

"How did you- Never mind."

"So, what is it? Are you all right? Is Papi all right?"

"Everything's fine, Mija." She trails off. "It's just.. I'll just cut to the chase then. It's about Thanksgiving."

I immediately slumped and close my eyes while giving out an exasperated sigh. Ever since I was a kid, I've been used to all kinds of disappointments when it comes to my parents. I've been left to spend the holidays or my birthday alone every now and then, I'm lucky if even one of them isn't busy and they get to spend it with me. On occasion though, I spend it with the Fabrays. Yeah, my parents try to make it up to me by being there on the pivotal moments of my life and I appreciate that but I'll just never get used to it, I guess.

"Lemme guess, one of your clients busted his ass again and needs your help in another continent. Then, Papi is going to be handling a sensitive case of a patient that needs to be taken care of ASAP across the country?" I finish with an eye roll.

"You know, I really don't get how you always guess these things." My mother replies monotonously and I just scrunch up my face, unamused. "But yes, that's basically it. My client needs me in Sweden next week and your father will be handling a patient with a rare case in Los Angeles around the same time for almost a week."

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard all of that before. I'm actually used to it by now, I shouldn't be surprised anymore."

"Mija, we're really sorry. We'll make it up to you on the holidays. We promise." She mutters in her signature mother tone who's trying to console a kid.

"Promises are meant to be broken, Mami. Papi and you have proven that more than enough." I huffed. "I've practically memorized the dance by heart now that even I could teach little kids with equally busy parents all the steps."

"Santana.."

"Goodbye, mother." I tell her with resentment and disconnect the call.

I lay back on the couch and give out a big sigh again. I was really excited to come home for Thanksgiving because I barely see them and all that shit. I know that they're working hard for the family but I still don't understand why it has to work that way sometimes. I mean, they're freaking loaded. Sure, spending Thanksgiving with the Fabrays is cool but it will never be the same as spending it together with my parents.

I look at the television again to see Tyra Banks sending home a contestant. I'm just completely fuming with anger now that I need to do something to get the stress off my back.

I turn off the television and as soon as I stand up, my phone goes off for the second time. Thinking that it's my mother again, I answered with a little hostility.

"I won't be tamed, alright?" I exclaimed through the receiver a little too loud.

"Well, that's good to know." A soft voice on the other line mutters playfully. I freeze a little when I realize that the familiar voice isn't my mother's.

"Brittany?"

"Hello to you, too!" She chimes in and it made me smile even for a little bit. "Rough day?"

I sigh and start to walk towards my room. "You can say that." I then shuffled to my closet. "So, what's up?"

"I'm actually on my break. Just thought of calling you in between bites of my awesome PB &amp; J sandwich."

I chuckle at her antics. I'm really glad we're past the awkward stage.

"That sounds appetizing, Britt." I mumble sarcastically while I put the phone into speaker mode and change into some blouse and shorts.

"You're appetizing." She says and I chuckle nervously, I must've blushed a little too. It went for a moment without anyone of us speaking. All I can hear is her chomping food down while moaning. _Must be a damn good sandwich._

I look at myself at the mirror one last time as I grab my bag and keys.

The blonde then continues. "Anyway, I really just wanted to hear your voice. I kinda miss you." Brittany adds and I instantly stopped in my tracks as I walk out the door of my apartment.

I hear Brittany clear her throat before speaking again. "I mean, like you being around me." She says. "You know, since I got better and all."

I smirked to myself. "Oh. Well, don't worry about that."

"Huh? Why?"

I enter my car and immediately started it. "Coz I'm on my way to Adam's."

* * *

"Santana Lopez!" Brittany teases with a smirk as I approach the counter. I've just arrived at Adam's to see the blonde manning the counter.

"Brittany S. Pierce, I finally get to have you alone somehow." I tease back and she blushes. "Heard that you miss me, so here I am."

Brittany just nods with an all-knowing tight lipped smile. "So, does that mean that you missed me too?"

I was a little surprised by her sudden words but not backing down, I flirt back with a smirk. "Maybe?"

"Must be the humor. They like my humor. Best asset, they say." Brittany rambles looking at nothing in particular.

"There's something else I like though.." I reply with a smirk and we engage in a staring contest. I know she's hooked when I see her bite her lip nervously.

Brittany then clears her throat. "So, uh.. Usual?" She asks and I nod and chuckle as I hand her the money for the coffee. "I'll deliver it myself later." The blonde adds pertaining to my drink as she hands me my change.

She suddenly smiles at me looking all adorable before speaking up. "I actually get off in an hour and a half. Wanna study together?"

I smile back at her and stare into those jugs- Er.. Orbs. Oh God. Just her goddamn eyes. "Yeah. I'd like that."

I look around the shop to see that there aren't many people yet. So, I grab a table near the counter where I can still see Brittany in my line of sight and place all my stuff while I try to get comfortable.

I check my phone one last time to see that there's a new message from Quinn.

**From Fabgay:** _At Rachel's. Don't wait up._

I roll my eyes and as soon as I put the phone down, a drink is placed in front of me.

"I put some extra caramel sauce in it but you have to promise that you won't tell anyone else, alright?" Brittany tells me with all seriousness and I chuckle at her statement then thanked her. "Don't miss me too much." She adds with a wink and I'm left smiling like an idiot to myself again.

I try to sneak a glance at her every now and then when I know that she isn't looking. But sometimes I let her catch me taking a glimpse of her so that our eyes would lock and I'd get to see her amazing eyes and that heaven sent smile.

True to her words, she did get off after an hour and a half. She went to my table and placed her books in front of me.

"So, how's studying for real going so far?" Brittany grins as she takes a seat across from me.

"Just got better." I say with a smirk and she just replies with a smile that made my day better already.

We proceed to study in silence for the next two hours with the occasional smile and glance at the other. She even lightly massaged the back of my hand for a few seconds which left me blushing and staring at a page for a few minutes, barely even able to function.

After two hours of studying at Adam's, we both got hungry. So, Britt and I agreed to go back to my place after convincing me that she makes a badass grilled cheese sandwich. So, here we are, almost nearing my apartment. The whole ride was almost done in silence until Brittany breaks it.

"Hey, San?"

I turn my attention to her for a bit. "Yeah?"

"How was your day?"

I was taken aback by her question. It sounds so couple-y but innocent at the same time. I'm going to be honest by saying that I almost forgot about my argument with Mami awhile ago but since it still pisses me off, the last thing I wanna do is talk about it. "It was fine."

The blonde looks at me as if she's trying to figure me out. "I find that hard to believe. You sounded so angry over the phone a while ago."

I give out a sigh and concentrate on the road.

"Oh, sorry. You don't have to answer that." She says.

"My parents won't be home for Thanksgiving." I huffed.

She looks at me with a worried expression. "Who will you spend it with then?"

"Quinn and her parents. I always do whenever they're not around."

"I'm sorry, San."

"Nah, I'm used to it. Don't worry." I tell her nonchalantly and she just stares at me for a little while and thankfully decides to drop it because I really don't wanna talk about it right now.

We arrived at my place a little while later. After half an hour and some easy going conversation, Brittany's almost finished with cooking our sandwiches while telling me a story about a senior customer who keeps on asking her to get married. I'm chuckling at her story while being perched on the bar stool across from her and drinking a glass of water.

"And he was saying," She slouches to impersonate the old man, "'you look like my dead wife, run away with me and let's get married!' Then I told him, 'I can't, I'm gay.' Then he pouts and says 'Dammit!' in the cutest way ever!" Brittany squeals.

I laugh at her story and proceed to tease her. "I didn't know you prefer older guys. Like, much older."

"Ha ha. Very funny, San." She rolls her eyes at me and I chuckle while continuing to watch her cook.

I so badly want to raise the topic about our date since it looks like the perfect timing to do so. But seeing that it might come across as demanding and impatient, I just decide not to. I mean, I feel uneasy but I don't want to pressure her. So, I take my phone out and decide to entertain myself by checking out random posts.

There was a comfortable silence for a while until Brittany speaks out again with her back still towards me.

"San?"

I answer without looking up from my phone. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry if it's taking a while for me to take you out on a date." She mutters almost in a whisper without facing me.

I stare at her with wide eyes before putting my phone down. _Mind reader, much?_

"It's just, you know.. I have to keep up with bills and school stuff." She turns to face me but is still looking down. "Everything's better now though, so I think I'm good."

I look at her for a moment before smiling. "It's okay, Britt. I understand. No rush."

"No." She exclaims sternly and looks up with a scrunched up face. "I want to take you out on a date, Santana." The blonde acts with sudden confidence.

"U-uh.. Okay?" I reply in surprise of her sudden words.

"Tomorrow night. Dinner at Breadstix."

"Er.. Alright?" I say sounding unsure at the sudden turn of events that transpired before me.

She smiles and turns her back at me again while I'm left gaping at what just happened. _Is this some bi-polar shit or something?_

"What do you usually do when you're mad or frustrated?" Brittany asks me out of the blue.

I think about it for a moment before resting my head on my hands while my elbows are perched on the counter. "Uh.. I do something physical."

She looks over her shoulder while raising an eyebrow at me with a smirk.

My eyes widen and I immediately raise my hands in defense. "N-no! Like some exercise or something. Boxing, swimming, anything actually." I ramble trying to save myself while looking down. "Though the physical thing works every now and then." I add feigning confidence.

Brittany nods and remains silent for a few minutes. When she looks back, she approaches me while carrying a plate of sandwiches oozing with cheese.

"How about bowling?"

I look at her questioningly before answering. "Uh.. It could work."

"Dinner and bowling, it is then." She says with a smile before motioning for me to grab a sandwich as she does.

"Well, I am quite good in bow- Holy shit! This.." I trail off while chewing my food "id.." Another bite. "Fa' b'um!"

"What?" Brittany chuckles while looking at me.

"I said this is the bomb!" I tell her while finishing another bite. "Is there anything you can't do, Britt?" I tease her playfully.

"You." She tells me with a smirk and I stop eating immediately. "Yet." Brittany adds and I'm pretty sure I swallowed the bite without chewing it.

We engaged in small talk until we almost finished eating. Suddenly, the door opens to unveil two girls making out.

I instantly cover my eyes and look away. "Oh my god! Stop this scandal!" I shout loud enough for them to hear.

"Oh, hey S. Thought you were still out. Hi Britt!" Quinn says while still glued to the Midget and Brittany waves at the both of them with a smile.

"Hi Santana!" Hobbit screams as if I'm far from her.

"I'm not deaf, thank you." I tell her dismissively.

"Don't pay attention to her. She hasn't got laid for two months or more now." Quinn tells Rachel and the latter just nods.

I was about to say something when Brittany cut me off.

"Well, it's getting laid- I mean, late. Yeah, late." She mutters with a blush. Quinn and Rachel are full on laughing now. "We need to get going, Rach!"

"Yeah, you need to go, Hobbit."

"Satan, stop being mean to my girlfriend!" Quinn quips with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, that makes things different. Not! I'm being nice, actually." I tell her nonchalantly. "Go now, Hobbit."

"San.." Brittany looks at me unamused and I roll my eyes.

I sigh in defeat. "Alright!" I say and Quinn is smirking at me. "You're semi-okay, Berry." I tell her and the Hobbit smiles at me.

"Much better." Brittany mutters as she goes to pack her things. However, the bag falls from her grip and lands on the floor scattering all her stuff. I hurriedly come to her aid and grab some papers for her. When I grab the last one though, I see something weird under it.

A black AmEx card.

I freeze a little in shock. This can't be mine. And seeing that it fell from Brittany's bag... It can't be, can it?

I stare at it for a moment while holding the card but before I can see anything else, Rachel grabs it from me.

"Oh, thank you." Berry says in surprise and I scrunch my face in confusion. Didn't that came from Brittany's stuff?

I didn't get to react though before Brittany cleared her throat while looking nervously at Rachel.

"So, Rachel and I will get going now."

"Wait, how will you-"

"Rachel brought her car." Quinn cuts me off with her arms crossed.

I look at the three of them for a moment while squinting my eyes. There is definitely something going on here.

"Well, we have to go now. Bye, sweetie!" Rachel quips and goes to kiss Quinn while I roll my eyes again.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Brittany approaches and grins at me.

"Of course." I return the smile and before I knew it, she's leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.

I freeze at the action and judging by her smirk, I'm blushing big time. We say our goodbyes and as soon as they're out the door, I look back at Quinn with an eyebrow raised.

"What the hell was that about?"

"What?" Quinn replies looking confused.

"Just awhile ago. You saw that, right?"

"The card? Yeah. It's Rachel's."

"Bullshit. It came from Brittany's stuff, Q."

"Do you really think that Britt has one?" She replies with an eyebrow raised at me.

"Well, I-"

Quinn cuts me off. "It's Rachel's." She turns her back on me and starts walking towards her room. "It's not a big deal, S. You have one, I have one, and Rachel's loaded, so do the math." Quinn adds before her door closes and I'm left to stare at the floor thinking about what just happened.

* * *

Class went by in a breeze. The gang just finished having lunch at the Hark and we went on to say our goodbyes. I managed to convince Brittany that I'd drive her over to Adam's so she won't have to walk anymore. So, here we are, inside my car just in front of Adam's.

"Thanks, San." Brittany tells me with a smile.

"No problemo!" I say jokingly. "So, pick you up later?"

"Sure. Would 7 do?"

"It's perfect." I reply with a grin. _Oh boy. We're really going on a date now!_

"Okay. Better bring your A game when we go bowling." The blonde shrugs with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever makes you sleep at night." I chuckle. "Go now before Adam busts your chops and holds you for longer later!"

"Right." Brittany chuckles. "Thanks again, San. And I can't wait to see you later." She smiles and goes out the car. I may have held my smile for a few minutes before some asshole honked his car behind me.

* * *

I look damn good.

I'm checking my outfit while facing the mirror, even twirling around to really get a good look at it. After stressing out for hours of what to wear, I finally settle on an adorable vintage blouse, dark skinny jeans, and some cute fashionable boots.

This is the first time that I'd be going bowling for a date so it kinda excites me. Plus, I'm going out with Brittany Pierce, come on!

It's just half an hour before I have to fetch Brittany when I went out my room carrying my purse and keys to see Quinn lounging on the couch. As soon as she heard me, the blonde gives me a quick once-over before going back to the screen.

"You look good. Big date?" Quinn mutters nonchalantly. I sit down on the bar stool just behind her and proceed to finish my makeup.

"Yeah. Dinner and bowling with Britt." I reply with a big grin.

Her head does a 360 which worried me a little because I thought that she'd break her neck or something.

"Like legit?" Quinn yells out in surprise. She then made her way towards me and settled on standing in front of me while I'm looking at my mirror and applying some lipstick.

"Legit." I say with a smirk.

Quinn smirks with wide eyes. "So, I guess I'll be sleeping over at Rachel's tonight." She says chuckling. "You don't even have to text me that I shouldn't wait up. I wouldn't want to be here when all the commotion starts."

I glance at my awesome made up face before looking back at Quinn with a raised eyebrow. "It's not like that, Q."

She stares at me for a moment looking confused. "Wow. Did I just hear that?"

"Hear what?" I say as I put back all my stuff in my purse.

Quinn just looks at me as if she's figuring me out. "Nothing. I've just never heard that line from you before. Usually you're just expecting to get lucky and get out immediately. One night stands are more your forte."

I didn't reply. Because she's right, that was me. When I met Brittany though, the game just completely changed.

I check myself out in our big mirror one last time. "Well, get used to it now." I cry out but not before seeing her smiling back at me tenderly. I open the door and look back at her one last time, "Don't wait up, Fabgay!"

As soon as I got inside my car though, my phone went off indicating that I have a message. I smiled instantly when I saw that it's Brittany. So, I excitedly open it to be...

**From Brittany Pierce:** _Hey San! I'm really excited about tonight but something came up and I'll be running a little late. I'm really sorry. I'll just meet you in Breadstix. I'll be there before you know it :)_

Dammit.

I give out an exasperated sigh. I'm all ready and shit then this happens. _Argh!_

Anyway, it's almost 7, so might as well just go to Breadstix and eat those unlimited heavenly breadsticks while waiting for Brittany.

Yeah.

* * *

I've just finished my third basket of breadsticks.

The waiter's even started to look at me funnily.

I glance at my watch to see that Brittany's already an hour late.

I'm not pissed off. I mean, she told me she was going to be late but I didn't expect it to be this much. That or I think I'm just getting hungry.

I perch my right elbow on the table and rest my head on my hand. I look around to see that there really aren't much people. Just some students dining after classes. The waiter arrives to hand me my fourth basket at my booth as I look at my phone for the nth time tonight.

"Are you ready to order, miss?" The waiter asks me with a faux nice expression.

I'm not really in the mood to fight or lash out on anyone anymore. So, I look up from my phone and give him a death glare. His eyes widen and I think he got the message when he hastily scurried to another table.

I sigh again for possibly the hundredth time during my whole stay so far in Breadstix. So, instead of wondering about other stuff, I just shove a breadstick in my mouth and think about life.

Am I being stood up?

Well, I don't peg Brittany to be the type, so I don't think so.

Wait. She hasn't called or text since I left home. Oh no.

I slouch down and look at my phone again to see that there aren't any messages. Hey, maybe I really am being stood up. I close my eyes for a second to summon all the patience I can get. If she's not yet at the door after I count to three, then I'm outta here.

1

_Nothing._

2

_Still nothing._

2 and a half.

_What? Can't a girl hope? _

I close my eyes again. Hoping that when I open it, I'll see Brittany.

3

I open my eyes to see that she's still not here. So, I give out a final sigh and gather my stuff as I try to shuffle out of the booth and get out of this place.

I grab my coat and proceed to take out a few bills from my purse. I was about to put it on the table when I looked up a final time to see someone just entering the restaurant.

It's Brittany.

She just entered through the front door wearing.. Holy fucking shit.

Brittany looks like a freaking goddess!

She's wearing a tight navy blue dress that stops just a couple of inches above her knees, perfectly accentuating her long legs and slender figure. I can see from afar that she has her hair down as well which just makes her look more amazing. I am completely in awe. This Brittany just looks so sophisticated, so different from the simple Brittany that I'm used to.

I am definitely sure that I'm gaping now, maybe even about to have a heart attack.

Just then, Brittany's eyes finally find mine and she gives out the most beautiful smile ever. If I wasn't drooling a while ago. I am now. My heart is beating out of my fucking chest. Seriously.

Brittany proceeds to walk towards me while still smiling. Everything probably is in slow motion for me and I most likely look like an idiot standing beside our booth just staring at her. I didn't have the time to think about it anymore because after a couple of seconds, Brittany's in front me already.

"I'm sorry." Brittany mutters with a pout.

I try to find the words that best describes my impatience and how kind of pissed off I was awhile ago but the sudden sight of this beautiful woman apologizing to me just threw everything out the window. I can't even come up with words to say to her. So, best recourse? Say what's on your mind.

"I.. Uh.. Cool." _Pathetic son of a bitch, I am. Dammit, Lopez!_

Brittany gives a sad smile and puts a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm really, really sorry, San. I actually expected that you'd be gone by now. I mean, I'd understand if you did, being that I'm an hour late without any message or whatnot." She rambles again while tugging at the hem of the coat she's carrying.

_Words at the top of your head, Lopez._ "Well, you're worth the wait."

Do not judge my cheesy line. Please.

I see her blushing then flashing a smile while looking at me from head to toe. "You look amazing, San."

"No. You look amazing." I replied instantly.

There was suddenly a comfortable silence. I breathed for the first time since Brittany entered Breadstix and she gives me another smile again.

"Hi." We say in unison as we hold each other's gaze smiling like there's no tomorrow.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

"I know that I'm a little overdressed for a bowling date. I just.. Uh.. We had a visitor." I say shyly behind the menu. She just looks at me with a smile and waves it off.

"So, what's good here?" I ask, grinning.

"Well, the breadsticks here are the core of my being." Santana jests. "Their spaghetti and meatballs are amazing, too."

"Perfect. My favorite." I reply matter-of-factly while closing the menu and grinning like a kid.

The waiter approaches our booth and gets our orders. Then, out of all the things to happen, an awkward silence takes over with no one talking and looking at anywhere but the other. I mean, I'm a little shy and hella nervous about the date. I can see that Santana is very nervous about it too. But something needs to be done. So, I try to act confident and break the ice.

"So, uhmm.. Do you like bread?"

_Oh my god._ If I could slap myself now, I would. Out of all the things I could say, I settled with something as lame as that. I bite my lip and glance at Santana who's blinking repeatedly at me. Then, instead of finding it weird, she laughed heartily.

"Not as much as any other person, actually. How about you? What's your favorite dish?" Santana smiles at me and I grin back as we continue our conversation.

"How about we lay back out to ease the tension? You know, just chill." Santana adds with a squeeze on my hand and I feel the red creeping into my face while I nod.

We proceed to talk about random stuff while having dinner. I found out that she prefers breakfast over dinner, like me. That she likes Android over Apple. That her favorite color is Red and she loves Caramel. That she secretly adores and supports Quinn and Rachel's relationship but just doesn't want to show it. On the family side, Santana told me that her parents started from scratch after graduating from graduate school and have since been together during their sophomore year of college. They slowly worked up the ranks and are big time professionals now. This all made sense in my head after seeing how humble and nice they are after meeting them back in New York. What else? Santana doesn't have siblings, which was kinda obvious. She also told me about how she came out and all that jazz.

"Sleeping or eating?" I ask while munching on breadsticks, which are totally awesome, by the way.

"Oh, that's kinda hard." Santana says while taking a bite of her breadstick. "I'd have to go with sleeping though. You?"

"Definitely eating!"

"No surprise there." She mutters and we chuckle. "Hmm.. Brunettes, redheads, or blondes?"

I look at her and she smirks while I just shake my head. "Well, I actually don't have a type. As long as they're nice and smart, I'm good."

"Well, I'm all that, as you can see." Santana gestures to herself with a devilish grin. "You can add extremely hot and good-looking to that."

I laugh. "Pretty modest, too."

"I try."

I nod with a smile. "How about you? Do you have a type?"

Santana looks away still sporting a devilish grin. "I'm actually into blondes."

I blush a little but smirk at the opportunity to tease her. "Pretty obvious, actually."

She was about to say something else but the waiter approaches us carrying our orders.

"Alright, two orders of spaghetti and meatballs. And another refill of our homemade breadsticks."

"Awesome! Thank you." I say.

We proceed to eat in silence for a little while with some small talk in between. I contemplated whether or not I should tell her why I'm late or why I'm wearing a tight blue dress to a dinner and bowling date in the first place. But, I guess I'll let it pass for another story and another day.

"Wow, this is good." I say while finally taking a bite of my meatball.

"Told ya." Santana replies with a grin at me.

We ate again with neither of us speaking and were halfway into it until Santana breaks the silence.

"So, how is your family like?"

I was caught off-guard by her question and judging by her reaction, I might look like someone who had just seen a ghost. "Oh, I'm sorry if I seem intrusive. If you don't wanna talk about it, it's fine." She quickly adds.

"No, no. It's fine." I wave her off with a smile as I finally finish my food. "We're actually pretty tight. My parents have a small business back home. And I have a sister who's a freshman in high school. Then, there's Lord Tubbington."

"Cool." She grins at me. "I just thought it was a sore spot or something."

"Oh god, no!" I say chuckling nervously. "I'm just not used to talking about my family with other people."

We engaged in a casual conversation for a few minutes until we decide to call the bill and head out.

"I asked you out, so I'll pay." I chuckle. "Let's not do the bill dance."

"The what?" She asks, confused.

"The bill dance. You know, the one where they fight for the bill over who should pay."

"Uh.."

I smirk at her. "Don't go out on dates that much, Miss Lopez?"

She just blushes. _Ha!_ "Wait, we didn't really have a winner with the teasing bet." Santana adds, trying to redeem herself.

"How about we settle that now?"

Santana smirks at me as she moves closer. "Sure."

I sport a devilish grin at her and do the same with our faces just a couple of inches away from each other. "Do you watch Game of Thrones, San?"

"Every now and then."

"Well, are you Winter?"

"Sure, wh-" Her smirk is immediately replaced by a surprised look and flaming red cheeks which she tries to hide by looking down.

"Yeah, you got it. Because Winter's coming." I say with a smirk.

* * *

"So, I guess I'll take you home now?" Santana asks unsure of what to do as we head out the door of Breadstix in this godforsaken cold weather while we keep our coats close to our body.

"What? I thought we were going bowling?"

Santana looks at me from head to toe and raises an eyebrow at me. "But I thought.."

"Nah. I'm good with wearing this. I can even beat your ass while wearing a bikini." I wink at her and confidently grab her hand towards the car.

Santana, the ever gentle woman, opens the door of the car for me and gives me a small smile before we drive our way to the bowling alley.

We arrived a couple of minutes later since it was close enough and there was no traffic.

So, here we are now, talking to this nerdy kid who's manning the counter but actually just staring back and forth at Santana and I.

"Hey, Harry Potter!" Santana snaps his finger in front of his face to catch his attention. "I said, Britts and I wants to gets our games on!"

I chuckle at her antics but it proved effective when the nerdy kid hurriedly punched us in for a couple of games.

Santana and I then went to our designated lane to get our stuff ready. Thankfully, I changed into some flats before coming to Breadstix awhile ago. I look around to see that there were a few people around. Mostly just friends, maybe sorority sisters and fraternity brothers letting off some steam.

"Hey, I've got an idea." Santana quips and I turn my attention to her and motion that she continues. "The whole night had been wholesome so far. So, how about we dig a little deeper?" She suggests with a smirk.

"I can roll with that." I say with a grin.

"Hmm.. How about for every strike, you can ask the other anything you want, no matter how personal it is and that person is required to answer it. For every spare, you can make a comment about anything and get away with it. For every gutter ball, you get to do a dare. And the winner, gets to make the other do her own bidding."

I think about it for a moment. "You really like games, don't you?"

Santana just grins. "Only the innocent ones."

I chuckle. "Cool. I'm in."

"Nice!" She smiles and gets up. "You may go first, beautiful lady." Santana adds with a dramatic curtsy.

"Why thank you, fair maiden." I joke in reply and grab a bowling ball.

You know, it kinda feels weird to go bowling in a dress, but it's kinda nice. I can even feel Santana's eyes on me while I stand in the middle of the lane. As soon as I let the ball go, I knew that it won't be a strike. And I was right.

"Not bad." Santana says beside me.

"Yeah. Definitely." I exclaim while obviously checking her out. When the brunette finally looks at me, she automatically turned a little pink and I chuckle.

I throw the ball again but unfortunately miss two pins. Santana smiles and grabs her ball and positions herself in the middle of the lane but not before looking back at me with a smirk. "Say your prayers."

True enough, as soon as Santana lets go of the ball, she didn't even look back to see what happened: It was a strike.

"Don't mention it, Pierce." Santana exclaims with a devilish grin. "So, what's it gonna be?" She looks up while tapping a finger on her chin. After a few seconds, she looks back at me.

"When's the last time you got laid?"

"W-what?" My eyes widen from surprise.

"You heard me." She says with a smirk before handing me a ball. "So?"

"Uh.. It was a little before I graduated from uni, I think." I mutter shyly, not even looking at her. My cheeks are just on fire.

"Ah.. It's been a while. Huh?" She mutters still with a smirk and I'm the one blushing now. _It really has been a freaking while._

I shake my head and remove naughty thoughts involving Santana. So, I position myself and throw the ball with just enough force to see that it's a strike._ Yay!_

I look at Santana who's sporting a surprised face. "So, my turn to grill you." I say.

I think about of a dozen questions I could ask her. But with the intention of teasing her as payback for what she did awhile ago, I settle with pushing it a little further.

"Top or bottom?"

I smirk to myself when I see that her mouth is open from shock. "W-wait. You ca-"

"You heard me."

"Fine." Santana huffs with her arms crossed and looking at the floor. "Well, I-I'm usually a top."

I nod with a devilish grin. "I'm usually a top too, so how do we do this? Do you mind being submissive every now and then? Because I can totally be."

If she wasn't red before, she is now. Flaming red. I chuckle and hand her a ball. "Your turn." I add with a smirk and she gulps heavily.

* * *

After some dares involving hot sauce and cartwheels, our game headed to a close. Most of the questions went on the relationship route. I found out that Santana's never really been in a real relationship before. In her own words, she's the type who rarely goes out on a date and never with the same person twice. She just gets what she wants and leaves when she chooses to do so.

I was taken aback by how honest she was about her past, to think that it's our first date and all. She must have seen how worried I was but the smile and squeeze she gave me after was all the assurance I needed.

And by the way, I won the game. I haven't thought of something so I told her that I'll get back to her on our bet.

"How about you?" Santana asks me while we're munching on hotdogs and sodas after a tiring game.

"I've had relationships. Nothing serious or long-term though."

"I see. So, no exes who'd pop out from nowhere and steal you away from me?" Santana chuckles.

I pretend to think about it for a moment and when I see that the brunette's smile turns into a worried expression, I laugh and shake my head while she visibly relaxes.

"Should I even ask you if your hook-ups would do the same?"

"What can I say? I'm irresistible." Santana jokingly says with a smirk.

"I can attest to that." I reply back with a wink and we both chuckle at the other's antics.

We decide to call it a night and retreat back as fast as we can to her car to escape the cold while hugging our coats tightly. As soon as we got in, Santana warms up the car immediately.

"S-so c-cold." I say through my shivering.

"H-hell y-yeah." Santana mutters as she comes a little closer and brushes my shoulders to keep me warm.

"Thanks S-San."

It was only after a minute or so that we got completely warm in her car and decide to make our way home.

The whole ride was done in silence. I contemplated whether I should say something or anything at all for this wonderful day. Instead, I settled on embracing the silence and looking at our surroundings. A few minutes pass by and we were almost my place when the traffic light turned red. I turn to look at Santana, but when I did, she was already looking at me with the most beautiful smile. I know, right?

Oh, stop it!

"What?" I say.

Santana chuckles at me with her eyes still on the road when the light turned green. "You're just really, really beautiful. I can't emphasize it more than enough."

I blush at her words. _Must be the English Lit thing_. "I really had a great time, Santana." I say all confident while looking at her. I don't how I got it or where but ever since I met her, it's just been natural to me.

Santana grins and turns to face me for a moment. "Me too, Britt."

"And I was wondering if maybe you'd like to do it again?"

Santana suddenly turns serious and I'm afraid that she'll say no.

"You did it again."

"Did what?" I asked, confused.

"You beat me into asking you out. Again."

I chuckle at her words. "Alright. I take it back."

"What?" She looks at me all worried.

I grin and motion for her. The brunette looks at me for a second then immediately gets it.

"Alright." Santana trails off with a grin. "Brittany Pierce, will you go out with me again?"

"No." I reply almost instantly and see Santana's face fall.

"What? I-I-" Santana quips looking all disappointed.

"Just kidding! Got ya!" I laugh at her face and she playfully rolls her eyes at me. "I would love to go out with you again, San." I tell her with a squeeze on the arm.

Santana replies only with a smile. But when my hand slowly slides off from her arm, she grabs it and proceeds to intertwine our fingers together. It remained that way almost the whole trip.

_I know, right? Stop it!_

* * *

Suddenly, we're in front of my place and as I was about to open the car, she surprisingly appeared in front of me and opened it for me. "Walk you?"

"You know that I can walk now, right?" I say with a playful smile.

"I know. I just want to get in your pants." Santana mutters while wiggling her eyebrows.

"Well, I don't sleep with someone on the first date. So.."

"That's what the second date is about. And the third, fourth, and so on." She jokingly says with a grin.

We reach the front door of my place and are now looking at each other.

"This is me." I say with a smile.

"Yeah." Santana utters and we're locked down, staring into each other's eyes.

"Goodnight, Santana."

I wanted so bad to kiss her or maybe even invite her to my room but this, what we're trying to create, is really something special. I don't want to ruin anything by rushing into it. I can see that Santana's having the same dilemma. So, I move a little and motion to kiss her but apparently she has other plans.

"Goodnight, Brittany." Santana exclaims while holding out her hand.

_Really? A handshake?_

Wow.

Well, I really don't know what to do. So, I just take her hand and shake it. The perfect ambience awhile ago just turned into an awkward one. Just then, Santana gives out an awkward smile without looking at me then travels down the stairs.

I sigh and turn towards the front door. I won't lie by saying that I'm a little disappointed. I mean, come on, who wouldn't want to kiss those luscious li-

I'm suddenly held by the hand and as I turn to see who it is, I see Santana's face directly in front of me and sporting a tender smile before I was being pulled into a kiss. I was surprised but then smiled inwardly as I take in the smell of her perfume.

I close my eyes and kiss her back. And gosh. She's a damn good kisser.

It was just a moment. Just one kiss. But as she removes her lips on mine, I immediately wanted to do it again. We stare into each other's eyes for a little while, just taking it all in. It was one of those moments. When you know that you don't have to say anything. You just feel that everything is perfect and there are no words to describe it or have to be said. The night was just that. Perfect.

"Do you have a rule for kisses on the first date, too?"

I give out a soft laugh. "Not anymore." I reply back and we're grinning so hard, I can practically feel my jaw starting to give in.

"Goodnight, Brittany." Santana winks at me before walking away. And this time, I see her get into her car and drive away.

As soon as I lose sight of her, I literally jumped for joy while semi-squealing repeatedly with my hands up in the air. Really. I don't care if some people passing by were giving me funny looks. _I'm just so happy!_ I jump one last time when suddenly, the door to my complex opens and pushes me to the side, almost making me stumble down the stairs.

The woman apologized to me but I just brush it off with a smile. She must think I'm a weirdo now but I really don't care. I enter our apartment to see Rachel reading a book on the couch.

"Hey, Britt. I take it that you had a great time?" Rachel gives me an all-knowing smile.

I didn't even look at her. I just nod like a crazy person with a grin still plastered on my face as I make my way to my room and lay on my bed. My phone suddenly goes off and I check to see that it's Santana. I didn't know it was possible for me to smile even wider until now. I open the text that made the butterflies in my stomach fly around in circles.

**From Santana: **_I told you you're worth the wait ;)_

Oh, Pierce. You're falling hard. So damn hard.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

It's been a week since my date with Brittany and I'm still like a kid on Christmas Day whenever I see her. I mean, I was almost pulled over by an officer after my date because apparently, I wasn't paying much attention on the road and almost ran over an old man crossing. It's just awesome. Brittany's awesome.

This week though is kinda sad for me. It's the start of our Thanksgiving break tomorrow and everyone's scrambling to go home again. Quinn also left the other day since she doesn't have class for the rest of the week anymore, she insisted to wait for me but I vehemently refused to. Most of our friends are probably home by now as well because we don't have class today. Even Brittany too. _Imaginary pout._

So, here I am, sitting on the couch while binge watching 2 Broke Girls when there's suddenly a knock on the door. I think about it for moment. I didn't have any pizza delivered, didn't I? _Oh well._

I stand up and shuffled to the front door. When I opened it, a heavily clothed Brittany greets me.

"Do you usually just open your door without looking who it is? That's a bad habit, San."

I laugh at her greeting. "Well, hello to you, too." I motion for her to come in and see that she's carrying a luggage.

"Are you going to move in or something? Because our guest bedroom is kind of a man cave right now."

Brittany chuckles. "No, silly." She says as she removes her scarf and coat unveiling a white round neck shirt, simple jeans, and shoes to match with it. Now, I'm not exaggerating but I've never seen anyone pull off something as simple as what she's wearing.

Her smile suddenly turned into that of sadness. "They said that there's a storm coming. So, all flights are cancelled until the day after tomorrow."

"Oh no. I'm sorry, Britt." I say, genuinely disappointed. "Do you have any plans then?"

"I tried to rent a car. Rachel and I have driven a few times from Jersey to Illinois whenever our flight got cancelled. But they were all out of cars when I got there. So, I guess I'll just have to wait for a bit and catch up with them by then."

I stare at her sad face for a moment. Brittany wears her heart on her sleeve, so you can practically see how disappointed and heartbroken she is right now. That doesn't sit well with me.

"Let's take my car then." I say without hesitation.

"W-what?"

"I said, let's take my car."

"No, we can't do that."

"Britt, come on. I don't have anything to do back here."

"But it's a long drive, San. And you have Thanksgiving with the Fabrays."

"Forget about that. I'll catch up with them. Come on, Britt."

Brittany thinks about it for a moment. "On one condition."

"What is it?"

"We'll take turns in driving." She says, all serious.

I look at her with confusion. "You know how to drive?"

She just chuckles and smiles at me. "Santana, just because I only own a bike doesn't mean that I don't know how."

"Okay. It's stick. So.."

"Don't worry. I'll take care of your baby." Brittany says jokingly. "Are you sure about this?"

"I insist, Britt. I'll just drop you off then go back to-"

"What? No, you're staying with us for Thanksgiving! No buts and ands. You're not imposing." She says sternly.

I think about it for a moment. I mean, I'll meet her family. Won't it be rushing into things? But I'm more than curious to see her home life, so you know what? Fuck it. "Okay."

* * *

After packing my stuff and making sure that our apartment won't burn down while I'm gone, we go down to the parking lot and place our luggage in my car.

"So, how long exactly will it take to get to Illinois?" I ask as we put the last of our things inside the car.

"About 14 hours."

"What?!" I say a little too loud.

"We can check into some hotel if we can't drive anymore and we'll have some stop-overs along the way." She says nonchalantly.

"Okay." I whisper while buckling the seatbelt.

"So, we're definitely doing this?" She says excitedly.

"Yes. We're definitely going."

"Well, Santana." Brittany smirks at me while getting closer. "How can I resist, if you insist?"

* * *

**Xoxo**


	11. Chapter 11

**\- Brittany POV -**

We've been on the road for almost 7 hours and we're almost just nearing New York.

The weather's been crazy and we had to go a little slow awhile ago for safety. Thankfully, the GPS hasn't failed us yet. So, at least that's a good thing. Santana has been driving since we left for Cambridge even after numerous attempts to convince her that I could take over for a while. Maybe it's because she's overprotective of her car? I don't know. The least I can do is not fall asleep and bombard her with random and funny stories to keep the brunette awake and alert.

We've had five stopovers already for bathroom breaks, a quick snack, and during two of those, for gas. Santana was a trooper when she stopped in a nearby gas station from her place and checked everything from extra gas, tires, water, and the works before we went on our journey while I grabbed some water, food, and all the necessities for our trip in the convenience store. It was actually sexy to watch her do some car talk. Makes me wonder about doing it in the car-

Ahem. Anyway...

When we finally reached Buffalo by 5pm, my mouth watered upon seeing people eating those awesome wings in just about every corner of the street even with this kind of weather. Santana laughed when she saw my reaction and pulled over beside the "Best-damn-wings-you'll-ever-have" place she goes to for a stopover. And yes, she's so on point with the title.

"Oh my gosh, this is just too good!" I exclaim in between bites of my wings.

"I can see that." Santana mutters with a grin.

We proceed to eat through a dozen or two - well, I ate a lot - in silence. After recuperating from the food coma that we had, we decide to go on our merry way again but not before I speak up.

"You need to stop driving and let me take over." I tell her seriously.

"Huh? No, I can do this, Britt. It's just a few hours and we'll get to Chicago then you could take over."

"No. You look really tired, San. Just let me take over even for just an hour or two while you take a nap?"

Santana looks at me for a while as if she's weighing on her options. "I don't know, Britt..."

"Please, San? Just for two hours, then you can drive again. I'll take care of your car, I promise." I give out a pout and as soon as she sighs, I knew the battle is won.

"Alright, alright. Enough of that." Santana chuckles and shakes her head while she hands me the keys as we get in the car.

I sit on the driver seat and look at the pedals in a little panic. It's been awhile since I've driven a car, let alone stick. I try to get familiar with the handles again as I start the car before putting on my seatbelt.

"You look like you've seen a ghost, what's wrong?" Santana asks me with a raised eyebrow.

I wave my hands in disregard. "No!" I say a little too loud and even she was surprised with my tone. "I-I mean, it's been a while but I can handle this. My dad's car is stick, so I know how to drive this.." I release the handbrake. Then press on the clutch and let go of it as soon as I step on the gas. "..thing."

Suddenly, the car accelerated a little too fast for a few feet before I hit the brakes hard and it went dead. An old man literally jumped for his life towards the edge of the sidewalk in surprise. He didn't get hurt though but I heard some profanities being yelled at us before he walked away again.

I look at Santana and who's staring back at me like I'm the girl from the exorcist or something. She just looks freakin' scared that I almost laughed were it not for the erratic beating in my heart from what just happened.

"A-are you sure you know how to drive a car, Britt?" Santana finally speaks after a minute of complete shock between us.

"Y-yeah. It's just really been a while."

"How long exactly?"

"About a year?" I tell her with a fake smile and her eyes widen instantly.

"What?! Look Britt, I know you mean well but you need to let me drive or else we might die. There's a storm coming too so we need to get a move on." Santana rambles with a serious expression and I just resort to pouting because all I really wanted to do is help.

There was a little silence before I heard a sigh from her. "You and that pout." I look at her and I see a small smile. "Okay. I'm giving you just an hour, okay? I need to rest my feet and legs too since it's kinda killing me."

I elicit a grin and in a fit of joy, I pulled her closer and kissed her on the cheek. I must have caught her in surprise because she's kinda blushing now. I wanted so bad to kiss her and I can see that she does too when I see her biting those red lips. I didn't mind already, I just want to be close to her. So, I lean in and close the gap between us. After a quick kiss on the lips which she thankfully returned, I pull back and wink at her playfully.

"You taste like wings." Santana tells me with a smile.

"Why, that's the sexiest thing anyone has ever told me." I mutter sarcastically and we laugh.

"Okay, enough joking around. We need to get to Ohio before 8pm, at least." She tells me with a small smile and I nod in agreement. The brunette shuffles closer to me and proceeds to refresh my mind a little about this kind of transmission. After a minute, she looks back at me.

"So, this is a sports car and a really fast one at that. When you release the clutch and step on the gas, it's bound to accelerate a little more than the normal ones, okay? So, just take it slow and I'll be here if you need help."

I nod and proceed to do as she says. We pull out of the parking lot safely and are now on the road. I'm doing fair so far and as I turn to look at her, Santana's already giving out a small smile and visibly relaxes.

"Hey San?"

"Yeah?" She replies while looking out the window.

"I lied about the one year." I say shyly and she just chuckles at me. "It's more of a year and a half?"

Santana looks at me for a quick second and just shakes her head with a smile.

"Make that two." I say with a fake smile and her smile faltered for a bit. "Just kidding!" We both chuckle and I focus my attention on the road once again.

Actually, I wasn't kidding on the last part.

* * *

We're almost in Ohio now and the road is getting a little harder to see with all the snow. Luckily, there are a few cars on the road right now all going in the same direction. I finally got the hang of Santana's car and everything's a bit stable now. Yeah, it stalled twice or thrice at first because I forgot about the clutch when I stepped on the break but I got it all under control now.

I look at my right to see that Santana's taking a nap. So, I take this as my time to review some stuff that happened for the past week. Or when Rachel and I had visitors the night I had my first date with Santana.

Yep, the mystery of the tight blue dress.

_I immediately went home after my shift at Adam's to get ready for my date with Santana tonight. I look at the clock to see that I still have a little more than half an hour before Santana picks me up from our place. Thankfully, I already picked out an outfit last night in the form of skinny jeans, a semi-loose blouse, and flat shoes before I went to sleep. So, I'd only have to take a quick shower and put some light make up on then I'm good to go._

_This past month has been kind of rough for me. I did some math to realize that I'm cutting it short with my bills, rent, and some school stuff. So, I decided to take up some more shifts and ever since I got better, I also lent a hand doing some barista work. The downside though was I have to work twice as hard in catching up with schoolwork, making me lose a lot of sleep and well, I got to see less of Santana. I even started to get sick. It even got to the point that I was too shy to face her because I know that she'd been expecting for a date and the brunette is just respecting my space knowing that I'm busy with everything._

_I got my pay today with some bonus and thankfully, it was just in time for rent, some bills, and even enough to spoil myself a little. I enter our apartment with a smile on my face knowing that all the stress for this month has been finally lifted off my back._

_"Rach, I'm home!" I cry out while putting down my backpack on the floor._

_I see her standing by the kitchen looking uneasy. "Hey, Britt. I kept calling you.. Uhmm.. There's something I need to-" She whispers while approaching me before I cut her off._

_"Oh, sorry wasn't able to check my phone. Don't worry about my part of the rent and bills." I take out my wallet and hand her some money. "Just got my pay today and then some!" I add with a grin._

_"Er.. You don't need to worry about that."_

_"What? Why? Don't tell me that you paid my half. We talked about this, Rach." I say a little confused._

_"No! Err.. It's already paid for. For a year." Rachel mutters without looking at me._

_"What?! How is that possib-" I say a little surprised but the sudden appearance of a middle-aged couple from the other side of the apartment almost gave me a heart attack._

_"Brittany! Honey!"_

_"There's our princess!"_

_It's my parents._

_I was a little too shocked to process what's in front of me. The next thing I knew, they were both hugging me. I take a quick once over at my father to see him still looking like a model, very dapper with his designer suit and beach blonde hair. My mother, who's wearing a dress looks like she's never aged a day. With her golden locks down and simple make-up._

_"Uh.. Hey m-mom, dad." I say when everything finally sinked in. "W-what are you doing here?"_

_"Well, we came by to see you. You haven't called for a while and we miss you so much, dear." My mother exclaims while rubbing me on my shoulder._

_"True. Besides, there's a little art auction here in Cambridge. We thought that it's a good excuse to come visit you since we know that you hate us just dropping by without anything else to do." My father winks and it made me elicit a smile._

_"That's nice. Where's Brianna? LT?"_

_"They're back at home. Your little sister's busy with school and Lord Tubbington, well, you know how he is." My mom mutters and chuckles. "You should call her though, she has lots to tell you about school." I nod and keep that one in mind._

_"There's also another reason why we're here." My father's tone turns serious and I look at Rachel to my right to see that she's also nervous._

_"Uh.. I think that's my cue.." Rachel trails off while starting to walk away._

_"I'll let you pass this time, Rachel." Papa Pierce sternly says as I see the brunette slowly walk towards her room but not before giving me a warning look. "You, sit on the couch." He adds and I silently obey while they sit on the sofa adjacent to me. They look at each other for a moment before sighing._

_"We found out that you got into an accident, had your bike destroyed, working two jobs and yourself to death, even starting to get sick, and a lot more things without even letting us know, Brittany Susan Pierce." Mama Pierce mutters. Oh boy, whole name basis. I'm so dead._

_"We understand that you're trying to be independent and all but this is just getting out of hand, princess." Papa Pierce trails off. "We suddenly find out that you're strapped for money and working overtime to catch up with your bills while sacrificing your health and academics? We're not liking this."_

_Rachel. I bow my head down and close my eyes for a bit. Yeah, I'm a little pissed off but I know that it's all done in good faith by her worrying over me. We're like sisters, after all._

_"The bank also told us that you haven't used any of your cards even once since you got here. Even once, Brittany. You have two black AmEx cards, come on!" Mama Pierce is also kinda pissed off right now and I continue to look down at nothing. "I mean, we're proud of what you accomplished independently so far here, we really are. But we're still your parents."_

_"For god's sakes, Brittany. There is nothing wrong with asking for help from us." Papa Pierce exclaims. "I mean, what's the use of working our asses off and having a lot of money when my own daughter can't even benefit from it?"_

_Uh.. Yeah. You heard that right._

_Secret's out._

_"I'm sorry, Dad. Mom." I whisper while giving out an exasperated sigh._

_"Just don't let it happen again, do you understand? We've just been worried sick about you. There we were back in Illinois, thinking that our daughter is healthy and great then to hear all those things about you? We had to practically pry out all this information out of Rachel the hard way." Papa Pierce mutters._

_"As punishment, you'd have to quit your job and focus on your academics first." Mom exclaims._

_"W-what?" I reply in surprise._

_"Listen to your mother, Brittany." Dad says with authority. "You need to experience law school as it is. We want you to. You can work all you want after you graduate and become a lawyer. For now, we just want you to relax and live like any other girl your age. Study, make friends, maybe even fall in love. Don't worry about anything else. You are lucky to be so extremely privileged while everybody else is hoping to get at least a little glimpse of all this. Take this chance for granted, live a little."_

_"But..."_

_"No buts and maybes, Brittany." Mom adds. "Your account has been replenished and you're required by us to use your cards. Don't deprive yourself, dear. We already paid your lease for the whole year so the both of you can focus on studying and anything else. Don't worry, we already had this talk with Rachel's Dads. Living independently before in Princeton might have worked for us but not now. We just want what's best for you, honey."_

_"You'll be done with law school in two and half more years and will start to have your own life. You've been completely independent since you started in university. Just study and we'll do the rest. Please let us spoil you for a little while before you completely venture on your own, my princess." Dad says with a weak smile._

_There was silence. My parents were only giving me sympathetic smiles and I knew I was hooked. I sigh heavily._

_"Can I at least think about this?" I ask them hesitantly even if I know that I already lost this argument. They both look at each other before taking a deep breath._

_"Of course." Dad chuckles._

_Yeah, I'm incredibly lucky that they're imposing this all on me but I really do want to be independent. I don't want to live behind their shadows. I don't want to be known as the rich kid forever. I haven't even had the courage let anybody else know besides Rachel._

_"Well, you have to go get dressed now. The box is on your bed." Mom exclaims while smiling at me._

_"Huh?" I'm pulled out of my thoughts by my mother's sudden words._

_"You're coming with us, aren't you?" Dad says._

_"I.. Uh.."_

_"What is it honey? Do you have something to attend to?" He adds looking slightly disappointed._

_I do, actually. Just a date with the girl of my dreams, dad. But they came all the way to visit me and I missed them too. I do a little weighing and seeing that they made the extreme effort to come here across the state, I settle with coming to the auction. I'll just have to do some skipping after half an hour of being there, I guess._

_"None." I say with a forced smile._

_"Good. You should get ready then. Rachel's probably halfway to getting ready. We'll just wait out here and watch tv." Dad grins._

_I nod and sigh defeatedly as I walk towards my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I open the box on my bed to see an absolutely beautiful navy blue dress which perfectly hugs my body. Santana will really like this one._

_Oh no, Santana! I take my phone out instantly and see a couple of missed calls from Rachel from awhile ago. I quickly type a message and send one to Santana notifying her that I'll be late. Then, I proceed to go to the bathroom and take a shower._

_I don't care if I'll go bowling in a dress. I'm still determined to make it to that date._

* * *

After an hour, Santana wakes up from her slumber.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

"Where are we?"

"Hmm.. Ohio. Only an hour left and we'll be out of Cleveland."

"Cool." She says before popping a gum in her mouth.

Silence takes over us until I elicit a yawn. I've been driving for almost 4 hours now and it's getting kinda late. Plus, this weather is making it really hard for me to clearly see things. Or maybe it's just the fatigue.

"Hey, Britt. How about we check in for the night? This storm is just getting worse and I think we need some rest too."

"What?" I say lazily as I yawn again. "It's okay. Just a few hours and we'll be in Chicago."

"No, Britt. We have to rest. It would be better to continue driving tomorrow morning when the storm has passed." She tells me with a yawn as well. "See? It's contagious already!"

We both chuckle and I nod. Santana's right, we're both tired already and if we want to get to Illinois in one piece, we need to rest. After a couple of blocks, we finally find a decent hotel to spend the rest of the night with an underground garage. As we park, we notice a lot of traveling cars too indicating that a lot of people have thought about the same thing as us.

We use the lift and a stereotypical hotel front desk greets us when the door opens. As we move towards the desk, an Asian woman greets us. I realized that Santana and I didn't talk about how we'll do room accommodations but being the awesome person that she is, the brunette already has plans in mind.

"Hey Lucy Liu.." Santana trails off and the receptionist looks at her in surprise. "Look, we're extremely tired and just want to skip all the talk so we can gets our sleeps on, okay? So, don't tell us that all you have right now is a room with one king sized bed for the both of us because that would be too cliché, like exceeding Nicholas Sparks novel levels, right Jackie Chan?"

"You had to ask." I say with a chuckle as we enter the deluxe king room the receptionist gave us.

Santana just rolls her eyes at me. "Well, we don't have a choice either way. So, no complaining allowed."

"Who says I'm complaining?" I tell her with a smirk as I proceed to sit on the king sized bed with my legs crossed. Santana holds her gaze on me while biting her lip until she suddenly clears her throat.

"I.. Uh.. I'll go get changed." Santana says as she hurriedly goes to the bathroom.

I chuckle and proceed to stand up as I take this as a time to check out the room. It's a typical hotel room with a semi-high ceiling, king sized bed, and a flat screen television. Just enough to get someone through the night. Seeing that Santana's changing in the bathroom, I decided to change right where I'm standing.

As soon as I replace my pants and shirt with a big shirt and shorts, I lay on the bed and turn the television on to luckily catch Bridesmaids just starting on HBO. I laugh heartily when Kristen Wiig consistently failed to climb Jon Hamm's gate. After a few minutes, Santana came out wearing almost the exact same attire as me.

"Look at that, we can pass off as twins!"

"Please don't ever say that again. I can't fantasize about my twin now, can I?" Santana tells me with a smirk as she moves towards the bed.

"Oh God. Let's not ever mention the sister thing ever again."

"Ever." Santana mutters with a smirk then clears her throat. "So, are you comfortable sharing a bed?"

"Of course. How about you?"

"Likewise." The brunette says with a smile and proceeds to cover her body with the blanket. "I almost assumed that you didn't want to."

"Nah, it's not like it's our first time sharing a bed. And even if it was, it wouldn't be a big deal at all."

"Cool. I was afraid that you'd have to sleep on the floor." She winks and I shake my head with a grin. We proceed to watch the movie for a while until I remember that I'd have to brush my teeth and get ready for bed as well. When I came back though, I saw the cutest thing ever! Santana trying to stay awake through half-open eyes. I chuckle at the scene before me. Santana looks so cute! Like a baby trying hard not to fall asleep.

I go to the bed and move closer to her. "Aww.. Look at you, all that's missing is a pacifier." I say with a small laugh which made her wake up a little.

"Well, I could suck on other things.." She exclaims with a smirk.

"I'm amazed on how you can still flirt even when you're already practically asleep."

"I try." Santana says with a wink.

"Uh-huh. Come on now, I'm more comfy than your pillow." I tell her and she agrees to move closer to me as she places her head on my shoulder. As Santana does so, I feel that she's a little uneasy. Maybe at the level of closeness? I know that she's really tired and being uncomfortable is the last thing I'd want her to feel.

So, I test the waters and softly place her head closer to me as I lean mine over hers. I feel her relaxing beside me and I push the boundaries further by pretending to yawn and stretch my arms then putting it behind her waist.

Oh my god. I just did the most cliché thing ever.

I hear her chuckling beside me with our attention still towards the television. "You did not just do that old school thing, Britt."

"What old school thing?" I feign innocence.

"That thing boys do when they want to put their arms over a girl's shoulders in cinemas!"

"What? No way!"

She playfully slaps me in the thigh. "You know, you can actually just put your arms around me and skip the old school stuff."

"Yeah, yeah. You got me." I tell Santana and pull her closer to me by the waist. I hear a little squeak and a giggle from her but nevertheless, she quickly looks at me and grins as she hugs me back tighter while we turn our attention to the movie again.

This moment is just so unbelievably perfect. I feel like I'm on cloud nine. I think about what's waiting for me at home though. Will Santana's view of me change after knowing who I really am? Should I tell her now? I wouldn't want her to get shocked when we arrive home, so it's really now or never.

"Hey San? Uh.. There's something I want to tell you. It's been eating me inside for a couple of weeks now. You might get mad at me or leave me in a bus station after hearing this but I want you know the truth." I give out a deep sigh before continuing. "My family.. We have money, San. My parents they're rich, like really rich. I know it's unfair that I kept this from you. And the reason why-"

A snore. Just a cute little snore from Santana.

I chuckle at this and think that maybe it really wasn't the right time after all. We're tired, sleepy, and just done for this day. It's a sign, I guess. I resign to watch the movie while I hold her close to me under the covers, seeing that she's very comfy and all.

It got me thinking of a conversation I had with Quinn two weeks ago, a little before my first date with Santana.

_I arrived home a little after dinner from my shift at Adam's to an empty apartment. Thinking that Rachel is at Quinn and Santana's, I sit down on the couch and tried to relax a little first. I pull out my phone and check my messages to see one from Santana and one from Brianna._

**From Santana**: _Hey Britt! I haven't seen you around that much. Everything alright? :)_

_I sigh. The last thing I want Santana to think is me trying to avoid her or worse, that I don't want to be around her at all. I decide to reply later though and open the second message first._

**From Brianna**: _Hey Britt! You'll never believe this but I got in the cheerleading squad! It's been two weeks since we last talked, can't wait to tell you all about it! Miss you! Xoxo Bri :)_

_I grin like a kid. My sister and I are unbelievably close but college and law school happened which kinda hindered us from talking as much as we do. We try to catch up through an hour long or more phone call every week though, in which she tells me all about high school and a few boys she thinks are cute. Just reading her message make me so proud of her. I really can't wait to see her on Thanksgiving._

_"You look like someone who won the lottery." A voice from the kitchen surprises me. It actually made me jump. I turn my attention towards the voice to see that it's Quinn drinking some water._

_"Oh gosh, where did you come from?!" I exclaim in surprise._

_"Under the cupboard, actually. Rachel made me look for her jasmine tea. She said that she needs to drink one after taking a bath." Quinn chuckles. "So, who is that?" She points to my phone._

_"Uh.. Just my sister. She got in the cheerleading squad back home." I grin proudly._

_"Oh, that's nice." She mutters with a small smile and takes a seat on the bar stool just behind the counter. I smile back at her. "Had a tiring day?" She adds._

_"Yeah. Work has been killing me and school has been crazy. A day off would be nice but someone needs to pay the bills." I tell her with a slight chuckle._

_"You don't even need to work to pay for the bills. You could even buy Adam's, if you wanted to."_

_I freeze a little but try to disregard her remark. Does she know? I do a fake laugh."T-that's a nice joke, Quinn." I tell her nervously._

_"You can stop pretending now. I know who you are, Britt."_

_"W-what are you talking about?"_

_"Drop the act." Quinn tells me sternly in a semi-whisper. "I know everything."_

_I just look at her for a second and then sigh. There's no getting out of it. "How did you know?"_

_"The other day I was preparing dinner for Rachel when I saw a black card sandwiched in a book by the coffee table. I thought it was Rachel's book and grabbed it with the intention of returning it to her. You could imagine how surprised my face was when I saw your name on a black AmEx. Rachel doesn't even have one and denied to tell me anything. Curiosity got the best of me and after some googling, I found out that you're the eldest daughter of a property and investment magnate. You're richer than all of us combined, maybe multiplied by 10. Your family's worth billions yet you act like the poorest kid around."_

_I hang my head low. This wasn't how I planned it to be known. "I-I..."_

_"What I don't understand is why you have to hide it, Britt. Did your parents disown you or something? Are you ashamed?"_

_Too many questions that I don't want to answer to answer right now. "No, we're great. It's just.. sometimes when people know who you are, they tend to take advantage of you for what you have. "_

_Quinn stares at me for a moment, like she's trying to figure me out. "You think we'd do that to you?"_

_My eyes widen in surprise. "W-what? No! You're mistaken! That would be the last thing I'd think about you guys. It's the first time I actually feel at ease with a group of people. It's always been Rachel and I." I sigh. "Just had a bad experience in school before that messed me up. I don't wanna talk about it anymore, if it's okay."_

_Quinn gives a sympathetic smile. "Were you even going to tell us?"_

_"After thanksgiving, actually. I want to take the stress off everyone's back first before a big blow like this."_

_"How about Santana?"_

_"I don't know, Quinn. When I feel like it's the right time then everything will fall into place. Just give me some time and I'll tell her myself. You know how she is."_

_Quinn nods. "You're a good friend, Britt. I hope you feel the same way about us." She adds with a small smile and I smile back at her. "I do."_

_Suddenly, Rachel walks into the living room with a grin. "Okay. I won't pretend that I wasn't behind the door for the last five minutes listening to this heartfelt conversation about our secrets, lies, and the truth behind the secret life of Brittany Pierce."_

_Quinn and I both roll our eyes playfully at her then proceed to make small talk like nothing happened._

The movie just ended and by now, I'm really, really sleepy. So I fix my position and lay Santana down on the bed, careful not to wake her up. She instantly comes closer to me though and lazily places her arms on me. I smile at the scene before me and can't help but kiss her on top of her head before turning off the television.

"Goodnight, San."

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

I wake up to the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

Brittany's face inches from mine. I'm sure Brittany naked would be a second close one.

I wrinkle my eyes for a moment and then get a better view of her body. Er.. our position. Wanky. I see that my arms our draped across her torso and we're literally glued together. I laid there looking like an idiot just staring at her stunning face, not a damn trace of pimple, wrinkles, or anything.

I remove some hair away from her face and gently brush her cheeks. But of course, stupid me wakes her up. I stare at her as she opens her eyes and instantly smiles at no one. Suddenly, I feel her arms tightening against me and pulling me closer to her.

"What do we have here? A beautiful girl in my arms upon waking up? Must be my lucky day!" Brittany tells me with a grin.

I break out into a grin myself and giggle at her remark. Actually, giggle.

"How about that, San? We haven't even went on our second date and I already got you into bed." The blonde tells me with a smirk.

"I think you have that confused by my achievement of getting you into bed."

We look into each other's eyes in a mischievous way and I immediately know where this is headed.

I didn't waste any time anymore and lunge myself at her with a kiss which she returned almost instantly. Brittany's lips are the softest I've ever kissed and the way they move against mine, wow. I'm beginning to think that they were made for me. I swipe my tongue against her mouth and I hear her whimper. So, I decide to push it a little further and move my body so that I'll be on top of her. Suddenly, our tongues move around against each other and our hands are roaming in each other's body. I move my hand around the skin on her waist as she places her hand on the side of my thigh which made me release a little moan. When suddenly..

An alarm rings out from nowhere.

Dammit. Out of all the times, come on! I groan at this but Brittany held me firmly against her and blindly reaches for her phone to turn the sound off while we still engage in a heavy make out session. When she finally does so, the blonde turns the both of us over and she's now on top. We release each other for a second to take a breath. I just stare at her beauty in awe, and at those usually cerulean blue eyes which have now turned into a dark shade of blue. And as if I'm not yet surprised, Brittany proceeds to one by one hold my arms above my head. I look at her in sudden surprise to see that her smirk ain't leaving anytime soon. Wow, this just so unbelievably sexy. I think I almost came just from the sight of her being this commanding.

Brittany then proceeds to lean in for another kiss but as she does so, her phone rings.

Freaking rings!

Why is the world preventing me to get laid?! I haven't gotten laid in three months and when the opportunity presents itself, this happens?!

We both groan again and Brittany hides her face on the crook of my neck. Instead of getting irritated, she laughs instead. The blonde lets go of my arms and lays beside me still laughing. I look at her funnily.

"Why are you laughing?"

Brittany tries to catch her breath for a little while before replying. "Nothing. You look like you're about to punch someone from frustration."

"Hell yeah, I am! I was about to have my way with you then your phone distracts us, twice!"

The blonde drapes her arms around me and looks at me in the eyes. "Aww.. Sorry, San. Maybe it's the universe trying to tell us not to do it yet. And correction, I was about to have my way with you."

I roll my eyes at her but after holding me on the chin and directing my face towards her as she pulls me into a quick kiss. Everything was thrown out the window.

"How about we continue this later in my old room?" Brittany tells me while wiggling her eyebrows and I pretend that I didn't think it's cute.

"We need to get going now too so I guess it's fine."

"Yeah, the sooner we get to Kenilworth, the better."

Wait, what? Kenilworth, as in the rich town Kenilworth?

Brittany must have sensed the look on my face and stops to look at me.

"Uh.. Why don't you go ahead first? I'll just call my mom back and update her." The blonde tells me nervously.

I just nod in agreement and grab my stuff as I go to the bathroom. Her statement clouded my thoughts until I finished taking a shower.

Maybe I was right, after all.

* * *

"I've just noticed something." Brittany mumbles while sitting on the passenger seat.

"Yeah?" I mutter with my eyes still on the road.

We've just finished having breakfast at this diner here in Cleveland and have only started on our journey again not more than 15 minutes ago after making sure that my car can still travel in a nearby gas station. We also agreed to change places once we reach a few kilometers before Chicago.

"You're an old soul." She says. I look at her with a quick smile albeit with a confused face. "Every song that's played are classics. I love it, don't get me wrong though. You're specifically drawn to MoTown."

"Is that so?" I ask her playfully.

The blonde nods her head frantically. "Yeah. Look! That's like four songs alternating from Marvin Gaye and The Temptations already!"

I chuckle at her words. "I think you may be right."

"You bet I am." She tells me with a wink and a sudden silence occurs.

"Hey!"

I jump in surprise but managed to hold on to the wheel tightly as I look at her with wide eyes.

"Let's play a game." Brittany tells me with a grin.

"Are you usually this chirpy every morning?"

"Only when I wake up cuddling with someone as special as you, San."

I blush a little at her statement and from the word "cuddling", I try to disregard this though. "So.. Uh.. The game?"

I see her smirking through my peripheral vision. "Right, the game." The blonde looks up for a moment. "How about I rummage through your playlist and randomly choose a song then you'll tell me a specific memory or something that reminds you of it? I'll share my thoughts about it too." She finishes with a grin.

I stick out my bottom lip and shrugged. We're about three hours away from Chicago, so might as well do something interesting. "Alright then."

"Cool!" Brittany exclaims and I shake my head with a chuckle at how energetic she is right now. Suddenly, the song changes to that of "Easy" by The Commodores and Brittany turns to look at me with a grin.

"Nice choice." I say. "Hmm.. I remember my mom and dad slow dancing along to it during their anniversary. It was very sweet, actually."

"Aww.. How cute is that?" Brittany gushes. "I don't have a memory about this song but I've always thought that it's really nice and romantic."

"True that!" I cry out and Brittany chuckles. "I've always thought of slow dancing along to this song someday too."

"Really? I didn't peg you to be the type, San." Brittany teases with a wink and I just smirk.

Then, the song changes to that of "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes as she sings along it.

I grin at the sight of her singing. "You know this song, huh?"

"Yeah. We danced along to it in a production back in junior high."

"I bet you're a great dancer and I can see that you have a nice voice too. Wow, I got lucky!" I exclaim with a wink.

"You're just trying to get in my pants again, San." She teases back.

"Maybe." I smirk. "Hmm.. I sang this back in tenth grade for some program, I think."

Brittany's face contorts to that of confusion. "How come I've never heard you sing yet?"

"I don't know, No occasion calls for my awesome voice just yet." I say with a shrug.

"Well, I'll make sure to get you to." Brittany mutters before changing the song to that of "Baby Love" by the Supremes. I chuckle and she looks at me.

"I think I was making out with someone at the back seat of my old car back in college when that song played." I give out a small laugh but when there was no reply, I do a quick glance at her to see her pursing her lips.

"Britt, how about you?"

Still silence. "Oh, nothing. I don't even like this song. I'll change it." She quips nonchalantly, looking a little pissed.

I feel my eyebrows wrinkle. Is she.. jealous?

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I be? I mean, I'm totally awesome and all that crap." Brittany exclaims with an eyebrow raised.

"Are you.. jealous?"

"W-what?! Of course not! Why would I be jealous? It's a just a stupid song that reminds you of making out with someone that isn't me. So, no, why would I?" Brittany rambles while waving her hand in disregard.

"Uh.. Okay?" I notice that I've been smirking for the past minute so I just nod while doing so.

The blonde clears her throat and proceeds to change the song to that of "My Girl" by The Temptations.

"Oh, that's one of my most favorite songs!" I tell her.

"I can tell." Brittany chuckles while I sing along to the song.

"It reminds me of you, actually." I tell her with a smile. "Because as the song says, you give me sunshine on a cloudy day."

I see her blush at my remark. "Back at you, San."

Suddenly, Brittany grabs my hand and I feel her weave her fingers through mine in a tight lock. I look at her for a second then proceed to kiss the back of her hand while still holding them tightly. I then feel her shuffle closer to me as she looks at my iTouch once again.

"Another song?" I ask her playfully.

"Nope. I think we're done playing games." Brittany tells me with a tight-lipped smile as she repeats "My Girl" again as we drive into the morning sun.

* * *

We finally reach Chicago a little after 11am. Brittany and I switched seats a little over two hours ago after we stopped for gas. She then tells me that it's only an hour more before we reach our destination, just in time for lunch. As we drive through the streets, the blonde randomly points out random places and things to me.

"Oh, look! They have the best deep dish pizza ever! You have to try that!" Brittany exclaims and I smile at her excitement.

Speaking of dinner, I was actually thinking of just asking her to go out here in Chicago instead. It would be memorable and she could show me around. I think it's a great idea but kinda makes me nervous since I've never been on a second date. At all.

I turn my attention to her. "Hey Britt, I was wondering if maybe we could have that date tomorrow night here in Illinois? Then show me around your town or something?"

Her face instantly lights up and elicits a big ass grin. "I'd love to, San!"

I grin as well. "Cool then!"

We bask in a comfortable silence and I turn my attention to the sights before me but not before speaking up again.

"How's your parents like? I mean, are they strict or something?"

Brittany hums. "Not really. They're probably the nicest people you'll ever meet. I guess they're just overprotective when it comes to me and my sister though."

"I see. How about your sister?"

"Oh, she's fun. Brianna's a generally jolly kid but she's really witty and smart."

"Like her older sister?" I say with a smirk.

"You're really that desperate to get in my pants, huh?" Brittany winks at me.

After half an hour or so, Brittany announces that we've arrived at Kenilworth. Yeah, the rich town they always say at the news. And the sign did the town justice.

Brittany drives slower as we pass by a lot of beautiful houses. There are a couple of people on the street walking with their friends, children, and dogs. My whole attention is now directed towards the big houses that come our way and I'm impressed with the level of sophistication around this town.

Eventually, we turn into a gated community. We weren't even stopped by the guards, Brittany just waved at them and they smiled back. Weird.

As soon as we enter the gates, we're greeted by a long street surrounded by big, dark orange trees. I bet it would be beautiful during the start of fall. We weave through the road until we turn somewhere and see big houses again, bigger than the ones we passed by a while ago and even more sophisticated than the ones I admired previously. What I've noticed is that this gated community had fewer houses though. So, by judging the sights as I see them, I guess it's for the richest among this town.

"That's Rachel's house." Brittany mutters while pointing to a big, colorful house on the right. My eyes widen at how big and beautiful it is. I follow it with a stare until it disappears from my view. Midget's got taste.

We turn into another road and I see a really big, beautiful house from afar. Complete with a fountain and the works. It's probably the best and most beautiful I've seen out of the whole town.

"Look! That house is so huge and pretty!" I tell Brittany as I point to the huge mansion from afar.

She just chuckles nervously at me and we proceed to get on with the ride while I continue to check out the houses we come across. It wasn't until that I slowly notice that we're coming closer to the huge mansion I pointed to a while ago. Until a few minutes, we're only a few feet from it and I get a better glimpse of the house. And wow, this mansion is the bomb.

The walls are painted white with a rustic feel to it while the customized floor surrounding the house is a beautiful gray kind albeit covered with some leftover fall leaves. There are two cars parked in front too, just beside the fountain. An Escalade and a BMW Sedan. The house is so freaking big that I feel like a midget just staring at the mansion. It almost reminds me of that house featured in the "Blank Space" music video.

I was intent on staring at it until Brittany pulls over beside the two cars in front of the fountain and turns off the engine. It was so sudden that it took me by surprise. At first, I thought that she just wanted me to get a better look at it by moving closer but when I take a quick glance at her, I notice that she's a little nervous and is avoiding eye contact with me.

Suddenly, my attention is drawn to the mansion's front door when a middle-aged couple both dressed in simple jeans and shirt comes out together with a teenage girl wearing a dress, all with blonde hair and sporting big grins. They were followed by the fattest cat I've ever seen in my life.

My heart instantly stopped beating at the sight.

"We're home, San."

* * *

**Xoxo**


	12. Chapter 12

**\- Brittany POV -**

I think Santana's about to have a heart attack.

I'm pretty sure she stopped breathing because of shock when I told her that we've arrived in our destination. The brunette is currently staring at nothing with her mouth wide open. Dammit, I really should have told her before we entered the village. Hell, even before we reached Chicago.

"San?" I wave my hand in front of her face and she's suddenly back to normal. "Are you okay?"

Santana closes her eyes for a second but judging from the way her eyebrows are contorting, she's seriously pissed off. Thankfully, shouting grabbed our attentions and I look up to see my family coming closer to us. I give a small smile to Santana which she just brushed off before I went down the car with a sigh.

"Britty!" My sister shouts as she runs towards me before engulfing me in a bone crushing hug. "You're finally home! I missed you so much!"

I hug her tighter and grin widely. "I missed you too, Bri! Look at you, you're almost as tall as I am now!" I say and my sister giggles.

"Well, don't forget about your folks up here, princess." Dad cries out a few feet away beside Mom with his arms wide open.

I chuckle and walk towards them as I let go of Brianna to give them both a hug. "It's good to be home." I say within their embrace.

As soon as I let go of them, I hear some hissing behind me. I turn to see Lord Tubbington glaring at a slightly scared Santana from beside the car. I smile as I walk towards him and quickly scoop the cat up.

"Hey, that's no way to treat a guest!" I tell the cat who just licks me on my chin and meows heartily. "I missed you too, LT! And I think you lost a pound or two, that's good!"

I slowly put him down and he scurries back to the house. I look back at Santana who's still kind of glaring at me while moving closer towards us. I sigh at this and know that we're due for a little talk later.

"Hi!" Brianna mutters while looking at Santana.

"Hi. Uh.. Mini Brittany?" Santana says a little hesitantly and my family erupts into a small laughter.

"They say that a lot, actually. I'm Brianna." My sister mutters as she holds out her hand for Santana to shake which the latter takes.

"Mom, Dad, Bri, this is Santana." I gesture towards the brunette. "San, this is my family."

"You have such a beautiful home, Mr. and Mrs. Pierce." Santana quips while looking at both of my parents.

"Why, thank you, Santana. And please call me, Susan. Mrs. Pierce is my mother-in-law, which you would be meeting later. Welcome to our humble home and please feel at home!" Mom says as she proceeds to give the brunette a hug. Santana's eyebrows raise in surprise at the sudden action.

"So, you're the beautiful girl my daughter won't shut up about. It's nice to finally meet you!" Dad then moves to give her a hug and Santana just awkwardly pats his back in surprise. "Jonathan is more like it. Mr. Pierce makes me feel old. And as my wife says, treat this as your own home." Dad says as he pulls back and the brunette just nods with a smile.

"Sorry dear. We're huggers here." Mom adds with a big grin.

"No worries." Santana waves her hand in disregard and breaks out into a grin.

"How about you girls get settled in your room and rest a little before lunch first? We're having a barbecue and preparing some burgers for lunch right now." Dad says.

"W-wait. Our room? Dad, I don't think that would be necessary. We have enough rooms here."

"Oh. No one told you?"

"Told me what?"

"We're renovating most of the bedrooms right now, princess. The only ones available is your old room, Bri, ours, the guest room where your Grams always stays, and one that's still not cleaned. The cleaning ladies won't be here for another hour. So, the both you should bunk with each other for a while first."

I groan. I'll be more than happy to share a room with Santana but I know that upon entering that door, a talk is instantly in store or all hell will break loose. I take a quick glance at Santana who's pursing her lips, probably thinking the same thing as I am.

"Unless there's a problem, girls?" Mom asks curiously.

"No, not a problem at all, Susan." Santana replies back with a small smile.

"Okay. Go settle yourselves for the weekend and lie down first while we get the grill going." Mom adds and the brunette just nods.

"Will you need help with your things?" Dad asks with a smile.

Santana shakes her head. "We'll be fine, Jonathan."

My father nods. "Well, we have to go and get lunch ready. How do you like your meat done, Santana?"

"Medium rare to rare, please? We're practically starving." The brunette replies instantly with a grin.

"I like you already!" Dad exclaims as he and Mom happily walk away holding hands.

"See you later!" Brianna exclaims as she follows them entering through the front door.

An awkward silence occurs with me looking at my surroundings and Santana crossing her arms and staring at the floor. After a complete minute, I finally had enough and face her. I move closer to the brunette and proceed to put my arms around her. "San.. I-I'm.."

Santana turns around and approaches her car to unload our luggage instead, even before I was able to hug her. I sigh in defeat and just help her with bringing down our stuff.

"Don't you have a butler named Alfred who just appears out of nowhere to help us with this?" Santana says sarcastically.

"Uh.. We do. But all our staff is on vacation right now. And his name is Bruce, actually." I say through a chuckle as we finally get everything out of the car.

She gives out a small laugh at this and I manage to smile a little.

"Well then, Madam Pierce. Lead the way."

* * *

"This is me." I say upon entering my old room. I drop my stuff near the door and proceed to look around and see that nothing has been changed or moved except for a slight wrinkle and a big dip in my bed, which I'm absolutely sure was caused by Lord Tubbs' sleeping in my bed every now and then.

"Wow." I hear Santana mutter beside me as her eyes dart around my room. I turn my attention towards her direction.

"What?"

"Your room is twice as big as mine, Britt."

A shy smile creeps into my face as I walk towards to the other side of my room and open a door while looking back at Santana. "I used to have a walk-in closet, as well. But I turned more than half of it into my personal study."

"Of course, you have." Santana quips with a smirk as soon as she sees a small room with a study table and two bookcases beside it. "Cozy, but I like it."

"Thanks." I tell her as I shut the door when she walks back to the middle of my room with her back facing me. "So, would you like to rest first or proceed with the tour of the house?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Santana finally faces me with an expression that I've never seen before. It's bordering furious but not quite there with a slight hint of confusion and hurt.

"I-I.. Uh.. I-I don't know what to say, San." I mutter without looking at her and just resort to hug myself.

"You could cut the crap and tell me why I almost looked like an idiot in front of your family."

"I can explain. I was supposed to tell you, I really was! I just haven't found the right time. I'm sorry." I reply and slowly feel like crying and my blood boiling.

"And what? You think the perfect time is when I've seen all of this and met your family already?!"

"That's not it, okay? I thought that I could just show you and maybe explain later when you're not angry anymore!"

"Angry? I'm freaking furious, Britt! Apparently, everyone around me knows about this but me! That's why Quinn and Rachel acted weird about that damn black AmEx!"

"I wanted to tell you myself, San!" I shout back because I'm honestly mad now, too.

"Well, you have a damn good way of telling me personally!" Santana shouts and I suddenly notice that our faces are now close to each other.

"Uh.." A voice from the door mutters. We turn our attention towards the unknown person to see that it's Brianna staring at us back and forth. I sigh deeply and stare at the floor in shame of my sister catching me argue with Santana while I see the brunette looking out the window.

"Food's ready." My sister nonchalantly says.

"Be right there." I say defeatedly.

I sit down on the bed while I see Santana still looking out the window. "Can we just talk about this later? Please?"

Santana stays silent for a while but nods. "Let's go."

Lunch passed by with neither of us talking to the other.

I guess my parents and Brianna noticed it too. So, they decide not to breach the subject and just tell us random stories about what's new in Chicago and old ones from when I was a kid. They also went on to ask the usual getting to know questions about Santana but held back a little to prevent asking too many questions.

Eventually, we were told to rest as they will start to prepare for Thanksgiving later. My parents insisted that every dish will be a surprise and that they need us to go away and come back when Grams arrives or when dinner's ready later. If you ask me, it's their obvious way of getting me and Santana to talk about our fight.

We retreat back to my room in silence. I'm really drained from everything's that happened today, so I silently go to my closet and change into some comfy shorts and shirt then plop down on the bed after. I look back up to see Santana who's just finished changing her shirt and is now shuffling to my bed as well.

We're lying from both sides of the bed with our backs towards each other. I sigh and swallow my pride because the last thing I'd want is for her to pull away from me. I move closer to Santana and spoon her. At first, she initially stiffens but after a couple of seconds, she relaxes. We fall asleep in this position.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

I wake up feeling sore after three hours of sleep. Not the good kind of sore though.

I glance beside me to see Brittany still spooning me and beautifully asleep but then I remember that I'm still a little mad at her. So, I slowly and carefully get out of bed to grab some water downstairs.

You could imagine my shock when all the pieces finally fit together in my head upon seeing a trio of blondes and a familiar fat cat awhile ago. I've always known something was up but I never thought it would be this big. Like, I could see priceless Ming vases in their living room and pictures of her parents with VIPs from all over the globe in their living room. I think I see the Dalai Lama in one picture too. That big of a deal.

I don't understand why she had to keep it from me though, I think that's what pissed me off the most. I felt a special connection with her over time, I even think of her as one of my best friends now with Quinn. And to feel like I've been ousted by my own friends by hiding something as important as this? Makes you feel betrayed and mad. Similar to a scenario when your friends go out and didn't tell you about it then you'll see pictures of them having fun on your news feed. _Yeah. Whatever. You get the picture!_

There's no escaping though. I'm here already so might as well stay for the weekend. Which reminds me that I have to call Quinn and my parents about me staying with the Pierces for Thanksgiving even if I'm a little pissed off at Fabgay, as well.

I finally arrive at their glorious kitchen after a few minutes of trying to find it in this big ass mansion. I look around to see that no one's in here but a lot of stuff and food are out, so I just search for a glass to quench my thirst. After a minute or two, I'm slowly getting pissed off because I still can't find where they put it.

"Cupboard on the right above your head." A soft voice tells me which actually made me squeal a little in surprise.

"Jesus Christ!" I shout a little too loud. I turn around to see that it's Little Pierce aka Mini Brittany staring at me behind the kitchen counter.

"Not quite." Mini Britt says and I just purse my lips at her remark. The kid just points at the cupboard above my head and I look at her with a little hostility from being surprised by her presence before getting myself a glass and downing some water first.

"Thanks, kid." I say and she sarcastically chuckles at me. "What?"

"Nothing. Do you know how to bake?" She asks me still in a serious tone. I can't help but be a little uneasy around her though, maybe it's because of her catching me and Britt fight or the fact that unlike Britt and her parents, she isn't as jolly as them.

"Uh.. Yeah?" I move closer to her and glance at what she's doing. I see her carefully mixing ingredients and getting the mixer ready.

"Cool. Mind giving me a hand?" The blonde says without looking at me and I must say that I'm quite impressed. Mini Brittany takes after her older sister when it comes to guts. Well, I love to bake so, might as well.

We proceed to work quietly while mixing up ingredients for a chocolate cake, their Grandma's favorite as she says. It wasn't until we were beginning to put icing on the cake that she speaks up.

"Lovers' quarrel?" Brianna mutters nonchalantly with her attention still on the cake.

I pause and stare at her beside me before continuing to help her in designing the layers. "What makes you think we're even together?"

"Well, for starters, Britt has never brought a girl home. Rachel doesn't count. And another, it's Thanksgiving and you're here. Shouldn't you be with your family or something?"

"A-are you trying to make me leave?"

"No. More like, making you see the holes in your argument of denying that you and Britt aren't dating." Brianna says nonchalantly as she proceeds to get another layer of sponge cake from the oven while I'm left gaping at her statement.

Have I just been.. lawyered?

I clear my throat. "If you should know, we've only been on one date so far."

"Kinda irrelevant when you're eye-fucking each other like you girls are the only ones around, Santana." Brianna tells me with a bored expression and my eyes widen in surprise.

"Are you even allowed to say that word?" I say and she just rolls her eyes at me.

"So.. what did she do to make you mad exactly?" The blonde exclaims as she motions for me to do the icing while she spins the cake around.

I sigh as I hold the plastic icing bag steadily while gently pushing it from the end. "Well, you know when your parents kept Santa as a secret from you but all your friends and siblings know about him? Then, you finally see him one night putting gifts under the tree and you're just too surprised to see a stranger do that and you're kinda like, put in the dark about it his identity because of everyone keeping it a secret from you?" I ramble continuously and proceed to take a breath for a second before looking back at Brianna, who's staring at me with a raised eyebrow.

"The fuck did I just hear?" The blonde mutters to herself and I almost laughed. "I'm 15 and already in high school, Santana. Give me a better example or cut the crap." Brianna adds.

"You know, I'd like you better if you weren't so bitchy right now."

"I'd like you better if you cut the sugarcoating. If I wanted one, I'd go to Willy Wonka or the guy who made Nutella."

I'm not even shocked anymore and I just give out a small laugh while she finally smiles at our exchange. Brittany was right about her being witty.

"You have guts, Mini Brittany. I like you." I tell her with a grin.

"Ain't gay. But you're cool." She says with a chuckle and gestures towards the cake again. "So? Tell me already!"

"Fine!" I shout with a small laugh. "Brittany never told me about all this.." I twirl my pointing finger around indicating everything around us which Brianna got immediately. "..and the thing is my best friend and Rachel knows about it. I feel like I've been left in the dark about such an important part of your sister's life."

The blonde just nods at me and smiles a little. "Yeah, Britt does that. I'm even surprised she brought you home."

I was taken aback by the remark. "What do you mean?"

Brianna sighs deeply as we do finishing touches on the cake. "Brittany doesn't like people to know that she's privileged. She prefers to be independent and make her own name and money."

"Why?"

"Not my story to tell, Santana. What I can only tell you is that Brittany's been through quite a lot. High school wasn't exactly the best experience for her."

I think about Brianna's words. Maybe I should hear Brittany's explanation. So many questions in my head that I want to be answered.

We finish the cake and place it on the fridge for dessert later. Brittany walks in on us looking all sleepy a little after Brianna and I had a conversation. She only gives me a small smile before being asked by her parents to fetch their grandmother which she agrees to do so.

"How about your grandmother? How is she like?"

"She lives with us but Grams is kind of a free soul, so she travels a lot." Brianna smirks "And she's something, alright."

* * *

When her parents mentioned fetching the girls' grandmother awhile ago, I thought that they meant for Brittany to fetch her from the airport.

Not from a goddamn helicopter.

On their freaking rooftop from their own goddamn helipad.

Don't get me wrong, I have my fair share of posh and sophistication. We have money too but everything that's been happening around me right now, is just a whole other level.

Brianna and I just finished cleaning up everything in the kitchen when I suddenly hear a loud noise coming from the roof. Mini Brittany must have seen my face and chuckles at me while telling me to calm down. She then motions me to follow her to the rooftop.

When we get to the top, everything in sight just blew my mind. I can practically see all of Chicago from their rooftop but the arrival of a chopper with a logo of "Pierce Industries" caught my attention and made me panic a little. It wasn't until a few minutes that it finally landed from the other side and I saw Brittany approaching it from afar. When the pilot finally opened the passenger door, a worldly looking blonde woman oozing with confidence and grace comes down the chopper then proceeds to put down a dog before hugging Brittany.

"Come on!" Brianna says as she directs me to follow her towards the chopper.

As soon as we come close to them, I get a better look at the old, slender woman and see that she barely looks old at all. She's wearing a beautiful designer dress with a scarf around her neck, complete with beautiful jewelry. The only tell tale sign of her age is the barely visible wrinkles around her eyes. And wow, she's still really stunning. The Pierce genes is pretty awesome. Like, legit.

"Grams! Fifi!" Little Pierce shouts and hugs the old woman. I think Fifi is the dog.

"Oh, how I've missed you and your sister a lot! I was supposed to come home last night but that wretched storm prevented me from flying." She says with a dramatic hand gesture as she lets go of Mini Brittany.

"And who is this beautiful young lady?" Grams exclaims with a curious stare at me.

"I-I'm Santana, Ma'am." I say nervously.

"Ma'am?" She replies back with an eyebrow raised.

"I-I.. Uh.. Miss?" I glance at Brittany who looks slightly amused with a smirk before looking back at her grandma who suddenly erupted in laughter.

"By all means, come here and give me a hug as well." She cries out and I smile then do as she says. Grams lets go of me and looks me in the eye with a smile. "I'm Bonnie Pierce. You can call me Grams though." She adds and I nod.

"You smell like chocolate, dear." She tells me as she holds me on both shoulders before turning her attention to Mini Brittany. "That reminds me, have you baked the-"

"Already done. Santana here helped me actually." Brianna mutters nonchalantly while petting a blonde-milkish haired Shih Tzu.

"Is that so?" Grams looks back at me with a smirk. She proceeds to literally turn me around and take a good look at me. After doing so, she puts her hand on her chin as if she's thinking.

"So, you're the girl my beautiful granddaughter has been cozying up to." She then looks at Brittany. "I'm highly impressed, Britty dear. You did good."

"Grams!" Britt mutters with a blush while looking at the floor. I feel the red creeping into my cheeks too. "Let's just go inside, it's getting chilly here." Britt adds.

Grams laughs and nods at this. "Ooh.. The lady lovin' must be hot." She adds and we blush even more.

Now I know where they inherited the guts.. and such penchant for words that make you blush.

* * *

"Tell me again why we need to dress formally for a Thanksgiving dinner?" I say as I do some finishing touches of my make up.

Brittany just got out of the shower a few minutes ago and is now getting dressed in her closet. After helping fix everything for dinner downstairs and while waiting for the turkey, Bonnie Pierce ordered all of us to get dressed. I didn't know what that meant until Brittany gestured for me towards our room and pushed me to take a shower.

Brittany sighs. "Because Grams always wants us to look good. It's become a tradition every Thanksgiving." She says while peeking from her closet to look at me.

I nod and look at myself in the mirror to put a little makeup. I'm wearing a red free flowing dress and some nice pumps. "Is anybody else coming?"

"Well, the Berrys usually come over for Thanksgiving but they're all at Quinn's right now in New York, if I'm not mistaken. So, it's just us."

"I didn't know about that." Well, now I'm thankful that I'm not there to witness some gruesome cheesiness. I'll still have to let Quinn know that I'm still alive though. The last message I sent her was about me almost halfway to Chicago.

After a few minutes, Brittany comes out looking extremely gorgeous in a simple tight white dress. "How do I look?" She asks nervously with a grin.

"Wow." Was all I could say. "You look like an angel."

The blonde blushes and approaches me. "You're not so bad yourself, San."

We take this time to just stare into each other's eyes and appreciate the beauty in front us. This is the first time that I've ever felt like this about someone. Just this gut feeling that you can't explain. Not the L word, right?

The blonde suddenly looks all serious. "I want you to know why I hid it from you, San."

"Britt.."

"No. Let me just say everything now, please? I can't handle us not talking to each other like this."

I sigh and nod at her. I can't go on like this too. She gestures for me to sit down on the bed and I do so.

Brittany gives out a really deep sigh before speaking. "I hid it because I was afraid that I'd get hurt, San. Back then, I chose to study in a public school from another town, just for the sake of trying to be normal. I had a lot of friends and was famous in campus. It wasn't until sophomore year when I overheard my friends talking about me in the locker room and how they were only friends with me because of my family's wealth. My friends secretly hated me so much that they even established a hate group aimed at me. They were only friends with me because of my money, San." I see that her eyes are getting watery but I decide to continue listening to her.

"Eventually, I confronted them and they didn't deny it even for a second. They told me to my face that I was so gullible to even believe that someone as stupid as me could have friends. They didn't even say sorry. That it was my fault why they took advantage of me. I even found out that they were the ones spreading rumors about me. From then on, I was extremely bullied. You could imagine what happened when I came out of the closet. Everyday I was told that I won't amount to anything, that if it weren't for my rich parents, I won't even be able to afford crap. I held on but when I tried to make new friends again and went on a few dates, it all boiled down to only one reason why they even talked to me in the first place: because of my money. And when I refused to associate with them anymore, they'd join in the bullying bandwagon." A tear escapes her eye and I can feel my blood boiling of anger from what she just told me.

"Eventually, it got so bad that I had to transfer to our local private school here in town where Rachel also studied, for the rest of my high school years. No one bullied me anymore and I even made new friends. But my experience back then shook me up bad that I find it hard to trust people and open as much anymore." Brittany tells me and tears are now streaming in her face.

"I'm glad that it didn't happen to Brianna. I know she's tough but I wouldn't want anyone going through the same thing as I did. It made me realize that maybe the only way I can have a normal life is by hiding all this stuff and try to be independent somehow. I wouldn't want to be known as the rich kid forever, a trust fund baby, or someone who'll be living in the shadows of my parents for the rest of my life. I want to be successful like them but in my own pace and own way of getting there without any help or by relying on my family name."

"Britt.."

"You don't have to say anything, San. I heard you and Brianna talking awhile ago and I understand how you feel. I wanted to tell you everything myself. I'm so sorry." I just give her a sympathetic smile before she speaks again.

"I was constantly afraid that I'd never meet someone special until I met you, San. I never met someone like you before. I only open up about this to those who I've learn to trust completely with my life. I'm really sorry if it took me a while to be ready enough to tell you." Brittany finished her story with a smile. "God, it feels good to finally say all of this out loud!" She adds with a chuckle.

I stand up and just smile as I hug her tightly. "Thank you for telling and trusting me. I appreciate it." I let go of her. "I won't take advantage of you. All of this doesn't mean anything to me, Britt."

"I know." Brittany says as she hugs me tight again.

After a few seconds, we finally let go and I didn't hesitate to kiss her in the most tender way I can and just hold her close to me.

A voice suddenly clears her throat. "Oh God. Enough lovey-dovey! Let's eat, turkey's ready!" Brianna exclaims wearing a blue dress and made up as well. She walks away while Lord Tubbington and Fifi follow her.

"Your sister is something else, Britt." I tell her with a small laugh while still holding her close. I give her a final kiss before she proceeds to put some light make up and went down for dinner after.

* * *

"This is good. Is that a hint of sea salt in there?" Grams says as she takes a bite of the chocolate cake Brianna and I prepared. I just nod in agreement.

"So, tell us about yourself, Santana. It's not everyday that we get a new face around here." Grams exclaims happily while eating her second slice of chocolate cake. Yeah, she noticed the sea salt on her second slice already.

We've just finished having dinner and are now having dessert and tea while just catching up on random stuff. I texted Quinn before dinner telling her that I'm in Chicago but she replied that she already knows because of Brittany and wished us a Happy Thanksgiving while briefly mentioning that we're due for a talk when we get back. My parents called awhile ago telling me that they're in LA together right now. They weren't even shocked to hear that I'm with the Pierces, Mami just told me to send their regards to the family.

"Oh, I'm originally from Manhattan. I took up English in Harvard and are block mates with Brittany now. My mom is a lawyer and dad's a surgeon. I don't have siblings and I have a mean uppercut." I exclaim and they all give out a small laugh.

"Her parents are Richard and Maribel Lopez, ring a bell?" Brittany mutters beside me before she takes a bite of her slice.

The elders suddenly stare at each other in surprise. Even Grams has her eyebrows raised right now. "Oh." They said in unison but their shocked faces are all immediately replaced with a big smile.

"I don't mean to be be intrusive but how does your family know our family? My parents won't tell me how. I was wondering if maybe you can tell us?" I say curiously.

Britt's parents and Grams break out into a grin. "Of course." Papa Pierce mutters. Britt and I immediately smiled and leaned a little closer, glad to finally know the mystery of it all.

"It's actually a simple story. Maribel was a struggling lawyer back then. She was one of the only few women lawyers in a big firm she worked for and I was one of the few women to have a successful business during that time.." Susan trails off. "Our company hit a rough patch when some group wrongly sued us over a huge property asset that was our biggest project yet. It was all over the headlines, actually. So, Jonathan and I went to Maribel's firm to get a lawyer for the case. Everyone was throwing themselves at us, even going to great lengths to make sure that they get the job, except your mother, Santana." Susan tenderly smiles at me.

"There she was, sulking in a corner, doing piles of paperwork that I'm sure wasn't even hers to start with. It was only when she smiled at us that I noticed how fierce she can be behind the sad facade she was presenting. I even had a look on her excellent résumé and wondered why she's doing paperwork instead of being in court. Finally, the bosses chose their best lawyer to handle the case, an extremely cocky and greedy one at that. I rejected him." Brittany's mother says and my eyes widen in surprise. "I told them that if their firm will be representing us, then I want it to be Maribel Lopez. Her or nothing. Of course, they were shocked that I'd want to hire a new lawyer, and a woman at that. But that didn't faze me and they eventually gave in to my demand. Your mother couldn't be any more ecstatic, it's as if a fire has been lit up again inside of her."

"And let me tell you something, Santana. Giving in to our demand was the best thing that firm had done for themselves. Your mother effortlessly won our case after a long and hard court battle and we couldn't thank her enough. Maribel gained a lot of respect for that. Winning the case opened up a lot of opportunities for her and she was suddenly the most in demand lawyer in New York. Your mother never failed to thank us for the opportunity but I know that we were only an instrument, it was all her efforts. It was us who are indebted to her, were it not for your mother, we'd be left with nothing. She was our lawyer for a few years until she branched out on her own. We professionally split amicably and but still talk every now and then. I'd even like to think that we're good friends." Susan finally finishes her story with a grin.

Brittany and I look at each other with a smile.

"Oh, there's more to that." Jonathan adds with a grin as he squeezes Susan's hand. Britt and I immediately looked at him in surprise. "I was involved in a car accident in New York back when Brittany was still a baby. I almost died from blood loss and other complications. Richard was the only doctor available that time and he saved my life. I have come to know that if it was any other doctor who operated on me, I would have died. Years later, you could imagine our surprise when we found out that he's Maribel's husband. Just a lot of coincidences that we couldn't be thankful enough." Jonathan smiles.

How about that? I hold Brittany's hand and squeeze it. Who could have thought that we have more history than we think? Maybe it's the universe telling us that we're meant to be together.

We proceed to finish dessert while laughing and talking some more. I think it's the hardest I've laughed in a long time. Their family is just so fun and witty, you can't help but smile at their bond. I won't admit it to anyone but I'm just having the time of my life here and wouldn't want to be anywhere but here right now with Brittany.

* * *

After Britt, Bri, and I volunteered to wash the dishes and bid everyone goodnight, Brittany and I were stopped by Grams for a nightcap which we hesitantly agreed to. We're now situated in their rooftop entertainment room, overlooking Chicago.

"Can you hold your tequila, Selena?" Grams mutters with a smirk while opening a bottle of Patron.

"Did you just refer me to a dead pop star singer?" I say, confused.

"Doesn't matter, JLo." She says while handing me a shot and I'm just left gaping at her statements. Looks like I've met my match.

"Uh.. Thank you?" I down the tequila and cough a little after I do so. "No salt or lemon?"

"You'll learn to live with it." Grams says with a devilish grin before giving me another one. I look at her in surprise but she just holds out her hand again. I hesitantly take the shot and wince again at the taste of it. I can practically feel my throat burning. She just chuckles as I see her down a shot herself with ease.

I look at Brittany who's sitting beside me and holding a glass of wine, wearing an amused expression aimed at me.

"Ah.. I'm beginning to like you, Mi Amor." Grams mutters with a grin and proceed to light a cigar before handing me one from her case. "Fancy a Cuban?"

I glance at Brittany who's taking a sip of her wine pretending not to look at me. "Uhmm.. Sure." I say as I take one.

"I didn't know you smoke, San." Brittany nonchalantly says with an involuntary eyebrow raise. "That's bad for your health."

"I-I don't. Well, I rarely do. I only smoke cigars."

"Okay. I'm heading out though." Brittany mutters while giving out a yawn. "Just really sleepy."

"Wait, I'll come with you." I say as I motion to stand up. My vision instantly blurred a little from the alcohol.

"No, just stay here. Grams needs a drinking partner." Britt says with a smile upon standing up.

"True." Grams quips as she takes a drag.

"Uhmm.. Okay." I tell her as I sit back down and watch her bid Grams goodnight with a quick kiss on the head and me on the cheek which made me blush a little. "Goodnight, San." She adds with a smile before walking away.

"You are so whipped, my dear child." Bonnie mutters with a chuckle and I look back at her as she gestures the lighter to me.

"I-I am not." I tell her as I light my Cuban and take a drag. "Wow, this is nice. It's been a while since I've smoked one as good as this." I add and she just nods in agreement while handing me a glass of whiskey.

I thanked her and we proceed to bask in some silence while just smoking the cigars in our hand and taking a sip of our drink every now and then.

"So, how long have you been in love with my granddaughter?" Grams asks nonchalantly.

I coughed loudly since I was in the middle of sipping my drink. I look at the old woman who's looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" I say, shocked.

"Selena, everybody who has eyes can tell." She says, looking amused.

"B-but we've only gone out on one date."

"Does it really matter? It's quite obvious that you two can't get enough of each other."

"W-wait. You're saying that she has feelings for me too?"

"Oh, Santana. Just how clueless can you be?" Grams just shakes her head with a smile.

"Huh? W-what do you-"

"So, how long have you been sleeping with my granddaughter?" Grams says with a smirk.

My mouth opened wide at her question and it pretty much stayed that way for the first half of our conversation. Eventually, I got the hang of being around her and she's actually pretty awesome. I now believe that she's probably the coolest grandmother I've ever met. We continued chatting for the next hour until it we decide it to call it a night.

* * *

Brittany told me to wait in my room, the guest room I moved to after it was cleaned.

Because as she told me, she prepared a little something for our date. We spent all day with her family, just having a barbecue again for lunch, having a movie marathon in their home theatre, and playing some kickass charades until it was time for dinner. It was really fun. I'm glad that I get to nicely hit it off with her family.

Since I had no plans at all for our date tonight, the blonde insisted that she'll take care of it which I hesitantly agreed to. So, here I am, waiting and sitting on the bed wearing a little black number with a V cut and a short sleeve while my hair's done in an intricate bun style from behind. She told me to dress up, so I did. _Wink, wink_.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I open it to see Brittany wearing a blue free flowing dress, with her hair down, and little to no makeup while holding a bouquet of roses. I was even more speechless when she broke into a beautiful smile.

"Hey, stranger. You look really beautiful." Brittany says and I blush a little at her remark.

"Back at you, Britt. Just, wow." I tell her and it's her turn now to blush.

"These are for you, pretty lady." She adds while handing me the flowers which I thanked her for and gently placed them on the table beside the door.

"Well, we gotta go now." Brittany says as she holds out her hand for me with a smile. I take it and gently close the door while following closely beside her.

"Wait, where are we going?"

She just gave me a shy smile as we proceed to walk upstairs until we reach the rooftop. Brittany then motions for me towards to the other side where the helicopter that Bonnie alighted from was parked. I immediately knew from then.

"More like flying, San." Brittany tells me with a grin as she motions to the helicopter while holding out her hand to me.

* * *

We just took off and I'm kind of a nervous wreck.

Maybe it's the height but my heart is beating out off my chest right now. I glance at Brittany who's looking calm and collected while saying aviation stuff to her headphones that I don't understand. It was only after a minute or two that we're now completely in the air.

"Are you okay? You look like you're about to faint or something." Brittany chuckles beside me.

"I had no idea you knew how to drive this thing."

"Because I only have a bike?" She says with a grin.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you quite the catch, San?" Brittany teases me with a smirk and I just playfully slap her arms.

"I think it shows, right?" I tease her back with a smirk.

We stay silent for a while. I look around me to see big houses and small dots which I presume are people as we pass by. After a while, my view was slowly filled with neon lights, skyscrapers, and beautiful buildings which amazed me.

"Where are we going exactly?" I say as I stare at the awesome night lights beneath us.

"It's a surprise."

"That is so cliché, Britt." I laugh at her remark.

"This is cliché, San." Brittany then presses a button in front of her. After a second, a familiar song plays.

I instantly grin at the recognizable solo guitar tune of 'My Girl'. I turn to see that she's already grinning widely. "Can't blame me for being cheesy." The blonde adds before intertwining our fingers as she proceeds to tour me around Illinois from the best view possible.

Brittany flew us over to this fancy restaurant where we had a really great time just talking and laughing about almost anything. After dinner, Brittany brought me to this piano bar where we just kicked it off with some drinks and a little dancing.

We're slow dancing to 'Nothing Really Matters' while holding each other close when Brittany suddenly puts her head on my shoulder.

"How's your first second date, San?"

"The best I ever had." I jest and she playfully slaps me on my arm. "It's been nothing but great." I tell her with a smile. "Thanks, Britt."

"For what?"

"Just for taking care of me like this."

"You deserve it, San." She mutters with a grin and kisses me on the cheek.

There was silence after that and we just move to the slow music like the others on the dance floor. I think about what Grams said when we were drinking and it just hit me that maybe this is the perfect time to say that I feel something for her. Maybe.

"Hey Britt.. There's something I wanna tell you." I say nervously.

She lifts her head and looks at me curiously. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Of course. It's uh.. I.." I close my eyes and breathe deeply before opening it. "I-I like you, Britt. I really do and I think I may be falling in love with you." I tell her in a rush and she just stares at me with a blank stare. When nothing came from her after a few seconds, I instantly panic.

"Oh no.. Too fast, too serious? I.. Uh.. Yeah, that's it! I mean, this is only our second date and we've only known each other for almost half a year then I'm dropping this bombshell on you like this. Yeah, big mistake on my part. It's just that I don't know if we're really dating or what but I have all these feelings inside for you.. I'm sorry, I really am. Maybe I should have taken it slow." I ramble as I let go of her then proceed to walk away from her in shame.

Suddenly, a hand holds me by the wrist and spins me around. I was suddenly held into a kiss by Brittany.

"Now you've beat me into saying something." Brittany says with a grin as we break apart from the kiss. "I feel the same way, San. I'm falling for you too." She adds.

I feel like screaming for joy right now but I settle on grinning so hard and kissing her again. This time harder and with more passion. I'm just so happy that I'm not the only one falling headfirst on this. Having someone tell you that they have feelings for you too must be the best damn feeling in the world.

The night ended on a high. Brittany got hungry again and we ate some amazing deep dish pizza before we decided to go home. We've just parked the chopper on their rooftop and are now walking back to our rooms.

"So, we're dating now, right? Like we're girlfriends?" I ask her excitedly.

"Yeah, unless you don't want to?" Brittany says with a smirk.

"Don't try with me, Pierce." I tease back and we chuckle. "You're my first girlfriend." I add.

"What an honor." She mutters sarcastically and I nudge her playfully. "Nah, I'm serious. I'm glad that I'm the first one you're committing to. Kinda makes me wish you're my first one too."

"Hey, that's my line. Have some originality!" I say jokingly and we just laugh.

We arrive in front of my room and are staring at each other lovingly. Like all smiles and looking into each other's googly eyes. Yeah, I can't believe I'm saying this.

"So, this is me." I say, motioning to my room. "I had an amazing time, Britt."

"Likewise, San." She says with a smile.

"D-do you want to come in?" I mutter a little nervously.

Brittany only smiles at me then moves closer to give me a tender kiss. "I would love to but I'm sure my whole family would hear us." She whispers in my ear which sends shivers down my spine.

I bite my lip and I see her smirking back at me. "What happened to 'taking it slow', huh?"

"You started it." Brittany says with a wink. "Goodnight, San." She adds with a grin.

"Goodnight, Britt." I say as we give each other a final kiss.

I go inside my room and literally screamed without noise for joy. Like jumping up and down with what just happened. Brittany and I are finally together!

"Uh.." A familiar voice behind me mutters and I instantly freeze. I turn around to see Brittany looking amused.

"Y-you forgot your purse, San." The blonde says while handing me my purse which I quickly take with a surprised expression.

She smiles and walks away but stops in her tracks before closing the door.

"Don't worry, I kinda do that too. Your butt dance is cuter than mine though." Brittany quips with a wink before shutting the door and I'm left shaking my head while grinning with what just happened.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

_This must be the most boring thing ever. Art auctions._

_I'm left to fiddle with my empty champagne glass after talking with numerous old people while waiting for the auction to start so I can make my ninja exit. Sadly, as I look at my watch, I see that I'm already half an hour late to my date with Santana and I sigh for possibly the hundredth time that night. What's worse though is that I left my phone on my nightstand. Dammit._

_"Want me to make a scene so you can escape?" Rachel mutters beside me, drinking her champagne._

_I chuckle and grab a newly filled champagne glass from the waiter's tray. "Tempting but no."_

_"I'm sorry about what happened back at our place, Britt." Rachel says a little shyly._

_"Don't worry about it, Rach. I would have done the same for you. You know that, right?" The brunette just nods at me. "I'm sorry for ignoring your attempts to keep me in check and for worrying you. It won't happen again." Rachel only smiles at me and that's how I know that we're now okay._

_A few minutes later and a lot more champagne, it still hasn't started and I'm already 45 minutes late to my date. Santana's probably gone by now._

_"Lemme guess, you have somewhere to be right now. Don't you, princess?" Dad says beside me while clutching a glass of whiskey._

_I just smile at him and sigh deeply. "This girl must be really special, huh?" He adds and I look at him curiously. "No one has to tell me. I know you pretty well, Britt."_

_I give out a shy smile. "She really is, Dad. But I'm afraid I already blew my chance_

_"If she really likes you, then she'll still be waiting for you when you get there."_

_"But it's almost an hour already and I can't just make my exit right now."_

_"50 minutes. And you can, Britt." Dad tells me with a grin. I stare at him curiously again before he speaks. "Go. Now. Maybe she's still waiting for you."_

_"W-what? What about Mom?"_

_Dad laughs. "We're in cahoots on this one, princess. Now, go before we change our minds! The driver's waiting for you outside to take you to the restaurant."_

_I instantly grin at this and proceed to hug my father tightly. "Thanks Dad! Kindly tell mom too! I'll see you on Thanksgiving!" I shout as I walk away, actually, ran away._

_"I brought some flat shoes and another coat for you. You won't miss it!" Rachel shouts from afar and I thanked her as I wave goodbye._

_As soon as I got inside the car, I told the driver the location and asked him to step on it. Thankfully, it's only a 10-minute drive from the auction. I change into some flat shoes and before I knew it, we're already in Breadstix. I thanked the driver and hastily make my way to the entrance of Breadstix. As soon as I enter, I quickly looked around for Santana, I slowly lost hope until a stunning girl stands up seemingly pissed while taking out a few bills._

_It was only when she looked up at me that I realized that I've never smiled so hard like this in my life._

_I think I'm in love._

* * *

**Xoxo**


	13. Chapter 13

**\- Brittany POV -**

"So, you're telling me that you'd usually just approach a girl then her panties would drop upon seeing you?" I say with a smirk as Santana and I talk in a corner of some fraternity house while holding our drinking cups in hand.

Exams just finished and an End of Term Party was thrown for law students by one of its prominent fraternity houses in campus. We've arrived not more than half an hour ago to see the party in full swing and most students getting drunk already. I must say that it's actually quite fun to let go off the steam that had been on our backs for almost a month of intensive studying for finals.

I'm even proud to say that Santana and I were the few ones to get an Honors grade on both Criminal Law and Contracts which really made me squeal of happiness for the both of us. Our friends faired a little less but at least everyone passed which made us all happy in the end.

I've finally told my friends about my not-so secret life of being privileged. At first, there were really shocked and apprehensive about everything but thankfully, they understood my reasons and it ended well. I also quit my job at Adam's after much deliberation. He was quite sad about it, saying that he'll be losing a precious employee. If you ask me, he just doesn't know how he'll do the books from now on. I left him a gift in the form of an organized office with all the paper works arranged and whatnot for being such a great employer.

But the best part of these past few weeks is Santana.

Santana and I had been dating for almost a month now and it's been nothing but amazing! Yeah, studying for the exams was stressful for everyone including us but you know, we made it work. We spend almost everyday of the whole month together and I couldn't ask for more. You could imagine how ecstatic I was when she told me that she has feelings for me too. Oh gosh! It's so unreal! I guess my family's fondness over her was an indication that she's a keeper. They almost didn't want her to go after spending Thanksgiving with us.

Seeing that winter break will start in two days and Winter Term in a week and a half, I'm a little bit sad that I won't get to spend it with Santana. I think I'm just used on the idea of us spending special occasions together.

"Yeah, that's how it went down before." Santana mutters with a smirk as she drinks from her cup. "How about you? How'd you do it? Solve a complex math equation in front of the girl? Must be a real turn- on, huh?" She adds and laughs while I just pout at her remark.

"Excuse me, I had my ways!"

"Like what? Bombard the girl with pie charts?"

"Now that's just mean! I-I do it normally. Like talk to them."

"Really? Then show me." Santana challenges me.

"What?"

"Go on. Hit on me. I'll act like I don't know you." Santana says with a smirk. I raise my left eyebrow at her and she nods at me.

"F-fine." I say as I take a deep breath. I see her idly drinking and moving a little away from me. I laugh internally at her antics but immediately clear my throat and do my game face. I proceed to walk towards her and hold my head up high.

"Hi!" I mutter a little too loud. I look at Santana who's a little surprised at my tone.

"Err.. Hi there." Santana replies looking a little amused.

I stared at her. Like waiting for her to say something. A few awkward seconds passed and I finally mustered up the courage to say something.

"You.. Uh.. You remind me of my grandmother when she was young, m-mate!" _Blink._ "I-I mean, I saw it in photo albums because I'm not like a time-traveler or something." _Blink._ "Y-yeah. She's pretty old but she doesn't have wrinkles. You don't have wrinkles, so that's good."_Blink. _Santana's face looks like one who's seen a ghost. So, I just resort to humming 'Are You Lonesome Tonight' while looking anywhere but Santana as I take a sip of my cup.

Shit.

Santana blinks for a few times then laughs out loud to the point that she's running out of breath.

"Oh my god. Britt!" She says in between chuckling and I'm just blushing profusely at her. "That has got to be a record or something!"

Santana continues to laugh like crazy and I just pout my heart out as I survey the room. "Fine. Let's try it on someone else." I look around for a decent girl that I could have a decent conversation with in all decency. I think I've emphasized how decent I want it to be. "How about that girl over there?" I say while pointing to a brunette with her back facing towards me.

Santana slightly stiffens at my suggestion but nevertheless wait for the mystery brunette to face our direction. "Hmm.. She's okay. Hot body, so I guess that's fine." The Latina says nonchalantly.

I involuntarily glare at her but smirk a little at her indifference. "Don't stare too much, Lopez." Santana turns to me and smirks only.

It wasn't until a few seconds that the mystery brunette turns around and I gasp to see that it's Rachel.

"Oh my god! It's Rachel!"

Santana looks back and is immediately horrified upon seeing my best friend. Once she looks back at me, I quickly cracked up. "You called Rachel hot!"

"I-I did n-not!"

"Yeah, you did!" I'm still laughing like crazy and she just crosses her arms like a kid having a tantrum.

"Aww.. Look at you, come here!" I say as I approach her with a hug. "I won't tell her but I won't let you live it down either." I add with a smirk and she playfully rolls her eyes at me before pulling me in for a kiss.

"I wouldn't let you approach anyone either. I'd probably turn into a green monster and clobber whoever that girl may be before she tries to talk to you." Santana mutters with a chuckle and I grin like crazy as we kiss again.

"Ugh.. Get a room!" I hear a familiar voice who turned out to be Quinn standing beside us chugging her beer.

Santana immediately looks back at me with a mischievous smirk. "Gee.. Since exams are over maybe we can take off some steam by doing something steamy too, Britt." At first, I look at her all confused. It was only when she winked at me that I got it.

"Oh, I think I'd like that, San. It's gonna be crazy, for sure." I smirk back at Santana and I glance at Quinn to see that she's feeling a little uneasy.

"Yeah, so where do you wanna do it first? Shower, tub, couch, bed, or if that's all too mainstream, there's always the dining table. You know what? Let's do it everywhere!" Santana exclaims for Quinn to hear and it proved effective.

"Oh my god! You girls are.. Can you just keep it in your pants for a little while more?!" Quinn shouted at us and moves away from us as we continue to laugh out loud.

I pout at her and see her grinning at me as she pulls me into a quick kiss. "At least you don't have to hit on anyone other than me now, right?" Santana adds with a smirk as we pull apart from the kiss. I nod with a smile and kiss her deeply this time before grabbing her wrist and dragging her to the dance floor with me.

* * *

The party turned out to be such a success with most of the first years getting acquainted with each other. At one part, everyone started dancing, including us. We weren't even intoxicated, we're all just having a good time.

"Wow Britt, you're a damn good dancer." Santana says with her eyebrows raised in surprise at me.

"Like you always say, I try." I wink at her and she smirks. Her eyes then turn into a dark shade of brown and I see a hint of mischief.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" She seductively whispers directly in my ear which clued me in on how turned on she is right now. I nod and she quickly pulls me out of the frat house while giving a quick wave to our friends on the way. We stop for a second in front of Quinn as Santana tells her that we'll be staying at my place.

We walk hand in hand on our way out, even giving a little smile and wave here at some familiar people we know but mostly ignoring everyone. As we casually stroll on our way to her car, Santana breaks the silence.

"So, I take it that those dance moves didn't come from Dance Dance Revolution, huh?" Santana says with a chuckle.

I laugh a little as well. "No, actually. I've been dancing since I was a kid. But Dance Revo was good practice."

She only chuckles and we settle on some comfortable silence. As soon as we get inside the vehicle, I didn't hold back in attacking her with some kisses. I know she feels the same way by the way she's hungrily kissing me back. It must be have been a minute of just making out before we broke apart with our foreheads leaning against each other while breathing heavily.

"I don't think I can't wait anymore, Britt." Santana mutters and I see those chocolate orbs glisten while staring back at me. We're not even drunk, I think we only had one drink before deciding to leave.

"Me too, San." I grin back lustfully. And just then, Santana smirks and we proceed to pull out of the parking lot as I still pepper her neck with kisses for the whole ride.

Eventually, we reach what looks like my apartment complex and we clumsily stumble to my door while still heavily making out. As soon as we reach my room, I throw her to my bed aggressively which surprised her. I lay on top of her and play with her earlobes before whispering directly in her ear.

"Are you ready for the best night of your life?" I say seductively and I hear her moan in return.

We kissed for a long time as our hands roam on each other's body, undressing one another. There's something incredibly intimate about us being naked and just pouring our feelings out like this through physical means. Yes, I know I'm being cheesy but it's so different when you're doing it with feelings. Like, making love. I think this is what we're doing and I'm loving every second of it.

"Are you okay?" Santana mutters while thrusting her fingers into me. We're both extremely out of breath and the pleasure is just.. Oh my gosh! I only nod and pull her towards me for a kiss. It was only when I thrusted some of mine into her as well that we both scream in pleasure of simultaneously doing each other at the same time. There's just something natural in the way my body moves against Santana's and how she makes me moan when our bodies collide. Something special with the way our lips touch and how every caress is as delicate as it can be. I couldn't even describe how beautiful Santana's face was when we both came at the same time. _Gosh, I'm so whipped!_

"Wow." I mumble through half-open eyes with my arms spread while lying on my back and removing some sweat that's forming on my forehead. We're both breathing heavily as we try to catch our breaths.

"Yeah." Santana mutters beside me, mirroring my position. "We should have done this sooner." She adds with a chuckle.

I laugh a little as well and turn to my side as I drape my arms across her torso with my face on the crook of her neck. "I can't believe that I have to agree with you on that one."

I feel her grin widely as she faces me and gives me a kiss on the forehead. The brunette scoops me through her arms and places her hands on my waist in a hug while I rest my head just above her chest. We settle in a comfortable silence as I listen to her heartbeat grow steady and I just know that here in her arms is where I should be.

"Hey San?" I look at her to see that she still has her eyes closed.

"Yeah?" She mumbles.

I don't think I've ever been this up close with Santana. Physically and emotionally. I mean, it's not my first time getting naked with someone but this kind of naked? Never. Yeah, you can always strip off your clothes and easily do it with anyone but that feeling wherein you can openly talk about your feelings, desires, dreams, and the like? I honestly think that's what being naked truly means. I think this may even be my first time to truly fall in love with someone. I got lucky.

"Let's do it again!" I exclaim as I jump on top Santana and attack her with kisses while hearing the love of my life chuckle at me.

* * *

Santana and I spent the whole night together. Cuddling, making love, sleeping, then go back to cuddling again and so on. I can't count how many times we've gone through the whole cycle already. We also spent the whole day today, barely getting out of the room except for quick meals and a shower together that ended in a pretty nice way, if you know what I mean. We're both due to go home tomorrow morning for our Christmas break, so this is us making up for every little thing and the best out of it.

I had a look at my phone a while ago and saw that Rachel messaged me to say that she'll be staying at Quinn's and Santana's until tomorrow before the best friends depart for New York. There were also a few messages from our friends bidding us goodbye and several 'can't wait to see you both on winter term!' texts.

The entire day went by fast and before we knew it, it's time for her to go. Santana's flight with Quinn won't be for another hour. Then, they'll spend the Holidays at the Fabrays' vacation house in The Hamptons while my flight to Chicago with Rachel is not for another two hours. So, I'm helping her bring some stuff to her car right now.

"I'm just wondering, what does Quinn's parents do?" I asked because I'm really curious.

"Well, Quinn's dad is a banker and her mom comes from old money." Santana mutters and I just nod. "How about Rachel's dads?"

"They're hoteliers."

"I see." Santana says.

"Are you sure you've got everything you need? How about chips? Gatorade? Or maybe chocolate?" I mutter as I see Santana loading up her car with a few luggages. "Have you had your car check? It's kinda snowy now so maybe-"

I was stopped by Santana's lips pressing on mine. "Everything's good, ma'am. Besides, we'll be taking a cab to the airport."

"I know, baby. It's just-"

"Baby?" Santana repeats looking amused.

"Yeah?" I smile sweetly at her as the brunette kisses me again and pulls me closer.

"I love it." She says with a grin.

I blush heavily and smile back at her. "I think I've gotten used to spending out of town stuff with you, that's all."

"Ain't that a good thing, baby?" Santana tells me and I fought hard not to show how all the butterflies in my stomach makes me feel constipated.

"I-it is. It's just, you know.. We had a really amazing time last night and the night before and I wanna spend more time with you like that.." I mutter while biting my lip and I see Santana doing the same.

"Noo.. Please don't do that. I won't be able to stop myself if you do."

"That's the goal, actually." I tell her with a smirk as I come closer to her. "Maybe you could spend some more time with me and just catch a flight later?" I whisper into her ear and she visibly shivers.

"Britt, I'd love to but you know I can't, right? My mom's been calling me every hour to ask if I've left with Quinn already." She utters disappointedly.

I give out a big sigh and a quick kiss to her cheeks. "I know because she called me first." I add and we both chuckle. "I'll see you after two weeks, okay?"

"Is it that long?" Santana groans. "What am I gonna do with those two weeks without you?"

"You'll do fine without me, sweetie."

"I'll call you a lot then text you constantly, okay? I haven't even left but I already miss you."

"Since when did you get so clingy?" I jest.

Santana blushes. "Since I've gotten this really hot, sexy, and smart girlfriend." She adds with a smirk.

I return the smirk and come closer to give her one more kiss when my phone suddenly rings. We groan out loud and I grin when I see who's calling.

"Hello?" I answer and Santana proceeds to let go of me and close the trunk of her car. "Yes, she's still here but we've just placed her luggage in the car." I mutter and Santana gives me a curious stare. "That's what I told her too! I gave her strict instructions about packing food in her bag just like you said two hours ago." Santana playfully rolls her eyes upon realizing who it was as she envelops me in another hug.

"Right? She only half listens to me when it comes to those things. I think she's just being stubborn." I say while doing a quick glare at Santana. "Exactly! Oh, okay. I'll give it to her right now." I cover the speaker and turn to Santana. "Your mother wants to talk to you." I say and she sighs loudly.

After a brief sermon from her mother and a make out session or two from me, Santana finally makes her way back to their apartment but not without reminding me about my Christmas gift from her. She refused to tell me what it is and I let it go for the time being. Which reminds me that I forgot to give her my gift. Oh, well. It didn't take long for me to see what it was though because as soon as I open the door to my apartment, my grin immediately reached my ears.

My bicycle's fixed! It even has a little ribbon attached to it with a card.

I closed the door and rushed to look at it and see that it's as good as new. The broken parts and smashed sides have all been replaced with brand new parts. The new additions to it didn't go unnoticed though. The wheels were changed to make it safe for me to ride it during Winter, and the handles were replaced with a different one for the same reasons as the wheels. As I survey the bicycle, I see that it's been installed with a silver bell, shiny red reflector in the back, just below the seat, a flashlight in front, just above the basket, and a blue bicycle helmet that's resting on the seat. I grab the card from the bicycle and read it.

_Britt,_

_I hope you like my early Christmas gift. I added a few modifications and pimped it out a little. Only because I always want you to be safe. Looking forward to spending more Christmases with you._

_S._

_P.S._

_If you're wondering how it got to your apartment, it's Berry's doing._

"How sweet!" Rachel cries out behind me which startled me a little. "Quinn helped me out with bringing it here."

I smile and turn my attention towards her. "It really is. Thanks for helping out, Rach. Kindly tell Quinn, as well."

"No biggie! Anything for my sapphic sisters!" She says and I can't help but shake my head with a grin as we both get ready for our flight.

The three hours passed by fast. After calling Santana and thanking her for the awesome Christmas gift, Rachel and I caught a cab and after a few minutes, we've arrived at the airport. I look at the big screen above our heads to see our flight back to Chicago or even a connecting one isn't anywhere to be found. Confused at this, I turn to Rachel to see her grinning widely back at me.

"Can I take a look at our tickets?" I say while looking at her.

"We won't be needing that." Rachel replies.

"W-what? Why?"

"Because we're here to fetch both of your sweet asses, dear."

I turn to face the familiar voice behind me to see Grams and Brianna holding a cup of Starbucks in hand, smiling back at me. My sister comes up to me and gives me a tight hug then does the same to Rachel.

It took me a few seconds to digest what's really happening in front of me and maybe a minute to realize that it's all real.

"This is all real, grandchild." Grams mutters. "Sadly." She adds before taking a sip of her Starbucks. "Now, let's get going. Rachel and your sister are already halfway to our plane." My grandmother adds as she turns her back on me and starts walking the opposite direction.

"W-wait. Grams! Where are we going?" I semi-shout and she stops in her tracks to look at me.

"No one told you?"

"Told me what?"

She raises both of her eyebrows and laughs. "We're going on a trip to see some old friends, sweetie." Grams turns around again and continues to walk.

I can practically hear the gears in my head spinning as I decode her statement. It was only when I started to board our plane that I finally figured it out.

"Oh." I say, looking dumbfounded.

* * *

**\- Santana POV - **

The only thing keeping me from falling asleep is Quinn's gossips about our batchmates in law school. Our dads are out having a drink at their home bar while both of our moms volunteered to make the dinner with strict instructions for all of us not to come anywhere near the kitchen.

We've arrived not more than an hour ago and have finally settled in the Fabray's Hamptons residence. We have one as well, beside theirs, but it's still under construction. The Fabrays' vacation house is humongous but nowhere near as big as Britt's house. Speaking of Britt, I know that I'm being ultra clingy or some annoying piece of shit but I miss her already. I mean, come on! After spending an amazing night with her, I doubt I could think of anything to distract me from daydreaming about it.

"Hello! Earth to Santana!" Quinn cries out beside me and I'm pulled from my thoughts.

"W-what was that?"

"I said, I made Popcorn and Hot Pockets for us. Ninja Mode from our moms." Quinn mutters as she takes a seat beside me on the couch while we watch 'Love, Actually'.

"Thanks." I say nonchalantly as I take another look at my phone to see if there are new messages from Brittany.

"Santana Lopez, I thought I'd never see the day that you'll get whipped by someone." Quinn mutters with a smirk and I roll my eyes at her.

"It's not like that, Q. Brittany is really special to me. I'm in love with her."

"I can tell." Quinn says and she looks at me with a soft smile. "So, how was it?"

"How was what?"

"Well, for starters, you girls apparently didn't come out of her room except when you both got hungry. I think it's safe to assume that something went on." The blonde wiggles her eyebrows at me.

I raise my eyebrow at her. "Wait, you're asking me about my sex life?"

"No, silly. I'm asking how it's like for you to finally do it with feelings."

My face softens at her remark. "It's different. It just feels so right, you know. Like, you're finally complete. It's the best feeling in the world."

Quinn grins and scoots closer to me as she rests her head on my arms. "I'm really happy for you, S." She says. "You do know that I love you, right?"

I chuckle and move my arms to hug her beside me. "Yeah. I love you too, Q."

* * *

Quinn and I were watching freaking 'Child's Play', specifically the scene where Andy's mother finds out that there were really no batteries inside Chucky to start with and probably look like idiots hiding under the blanket I got for us when the doorbell rang. Quinn and I both groan and take a sigh of relief at the same time as we both stand up to go answer the door. When Quinn peeped through the hole to see who it was, she immediately grins like a kid.

"Mom, they're here!" Quinn shouts and proceeds to unlock the front door.

"Who's 'they'?" I asked curiously and she only smirks at me upon opening the door.

We're immediately face with Grams at the porch looking all glamorous. I only stare at her in shock before she speaks up.

"Santana, dear. Close your mouth, it doesn't look pretty from here."

"Grams? What are you doing here?"

"We're spending the holidays with all of you." She says with a chuckle and turns to Quinn. "And you must be Quinn. You look absolutely ravishing! Call me Grams." She adds and I see Quinn blushing beside me. It was only when I looked behind Grams to see the Pierces with Fifi and Lord Tubbington alighting from a limo and Rachel who's presumably with her dads from another car.

It all happened so fast. Next thing I knew, our families are greeting each other and introducing one another. I didn't miss the way my parents' and Britt's interacted. With heartfelt musings of "It's been so long" and "It's great to finally see you again" which made me snap out of it and actually smile.

"Hey, baby!" Brittany exclaims as she hugs me from behind which startled me a little.

"Hey, B! I missed you!" I face her and pepper her with lots of kisses as I hold her close.

"I missed you, too." Brittany mutters in between kisses. "I only knew about this when we got to the airport and our families fetched us from there."

I smiled and put my arms around her neck. "I'm just happy that you're here." We both grin like kids before a voice interrupts our moment.

"Who knew that they'd make lesbians as fine as you four girls in your generation." Grams mutters nonchalantly as she enters the Manor.

The four of us chuckle at her remark and proceed follow her closely behind.

* * *

Dinner was wonderful.

Like, seriously amazing. Everyone was enjoying and laughing from stories and jokes that were being thrown around the room. It's hard to believe that everyone was getting along pretty well. Even my stomach hurts from so much food and laughing too much. Britt's parents and mine were talking incessantly, sometimes making me and Brittany, who's sitting beside me, chime in. I didn't miss the way they looked at us too. That look when you just know that they approve of us and are supportive of our relationship. I mean, my parents are crazy about my girl to start with. Not to mention how Britt's family and I get along well, too. Life is just so freaking perfect.

After dinner, the four of us transferred to the Fabrays' guesthouse so we won't crowd the Manor too much. Also, we were all under strict orders not to share a room with our girlfriends.

Yeah, right.

Well, Berry drives a hard bargain. I finally convinced her to exchange rooms with me when I agreed to watch 3 Broadway musical movies when we get back to Cambridge. I guess it's fair since she helped with my gift but no, it's still Berry. Anyway, I enter their room to see Brittany doing something on her phone while lying on the bed. I surprised her by moving under the covers and engulfing her with a hug.

"San! What are you doing here? I was just about to call you. You can't be here." Brittany exclaims as she faces me.

"That's why we have to keep it a secret, baby. I had a deal with Berry and she's sleeping in the other room with Quinn, I'm not sure."

"A deal, huh?"

"Yeah, Berry and I are gonna be good friends when we get back to Harvard."

Brittany laughs then kisses me deeply before pulling apart. "Close your eyes, I have something for you."

"Uh-huh. Is that a lingerie or something?"

"You wish. Close your eyes, San." Brittany orders me and gets up from the bed as I close my eyes with a grin.

"What is that?" I say when I hear a slight click sound.

I feel the bed dip beside me. "Open your eyes, baby."

I open my eyes to see Brittany holding a jewelry box in front of me. After a few seconds, she opens it to unveil an extremely gorgeous necklace with what looks like a diamond pendant in it. "B-Britt.."

"It's for you, San. I had it made just for you."

"W-what? I can't accept this."

"Yes, you can." Brittany says and gets the necklace from the box. "Wear it for me?"'

I give up and just smile at her. I lift my hair as if in a pony as Brittany puts it on me. When she finally does, I held the pendant and look at it. "It's so beautiful, Britt. Thank you."

"Not as beautiful as you, San." Brittany says as she comes closer to me and kisses me like there's no tomorrow. We went on like this until we were naked on top of each other, looking into the other's eyes with so much emotion when Brittany said it.

"I-I love you." Brittany mutters and she stares at my face which probably didn't give away anything.

It was only a couple of seconds before I broke into that smile. That automatic smile reserved only for her. I stared directly back at Brittany before holding her chin and leaning in for a tender kiss.

"I love you, Britt." I say and give her another kiss, this time deeper as I hold her closer and tighter against me.

Three words, eight letters. Best damn thing ever.

* * *

**2L, Spring Term. New characters. "Phase Two" starting next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! So, this chapter contains a few law jargons but they're mostly basic, so don't fret. **

**ALSO, the**** time jumps takes place a YEAR after the last chapter. ****I enjoyed writing this one, I hope you like it too!**

**Credits to HeYa-GLeeK12 for the "terror" stuff!**

**I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. ENJOY!**

* * *

***2L, SPRING TERM***

**\- Brittany POV -**

_"Can we do this?" I say worriedly._

_"I think we still have a shot." Santana whispers._

_"Yeah, this last one's our only hope of winning, it's now or never." Quinn chimes in._

_Santana nods and we go back to the couch where Brianna, Fifi, and Lord Tubbington are situated. We all have a silent conversation then nod to each other in an all-knowing way._

_"Okay, so we're playing the 'Famous People' category." Rachel mutters._

_"Alright. But why do I have to be the one guessing this again?" Grams exclaims from the couch across us._

_"Because it's your turn, Grams. The five of us already did ours. We need to win and beat our parents or we'll be doing the dishes!" I say and look over to the other side of our living room where the parents are sitting, looking smug for winning the previous round._

_Grams sighs and nods. "Whatever, dears. Just don't blame me if we lose this wretched game of Charades."_

_We smirk and proceed to give her the iPad that we're using for our game of Heads Up. Grams places it on forehead and I glance around me to see that they all have their game faces on as soon as the countdown started and the first name appeared._

**'Al Gore'**

_"Uh.. Vice President! Inconvenient Truth!" I shout which my teammates echoed as well._

_"Ooh.. That cute man! I met him before and lemme tell you something, he is unbelievably charming and-"_

_"Grams!" Rachel shrieks beside me._

_Grams rolls her eyes at us. "Pfft.. Al Gore." She says nonchalantly then tilts the tablet forward. It showed another name._

**'Grace Kelly'**

_"Uh.. Uh.. She's a former actress who married the King of Monaco!" Quinn cries out._

_"Oh my god, that woman? I had a crush on that King before. Hmm.. Grace Kelly?"_

_"Yeah!" We collectively cheered and motion for her to tilt it forward again._

**'Twiggy'**

_We all look at each other, wondering where we've heard that familiar name before._

_"Uhmm.. She's beautiful, classy, and an icon of some sort. This woman was a famous model back then." Santana mutters and we all nod when she looks at us for assurance._

_"Yeah, she was on ANTM!" Brianna says as well._

_"Bonnie Pierce!" Grams says, all confident._

_I place my hand in front of my eyes as the others exasperatedly throw their hands in the air. We all shake our heads aggressively while shouting "No!"_

_"What? I really was a model back then, you know. Although, I don't know what ANTM means, is that a code for something illegal? Because, gosh! I had my days when-"_

_We all shriek and motioned for her to just tilt it backwards to do a Pass. I hear our parents laughing uncontrollably on the other side of the living room from the scene unfolding before them._

**'George Clooney'**

_"Ooh.. He was a famous bachelor! I think this actor became People's 'Sexiest man alive' a couple of times already!" I shout._

_"Dear, you gotta be more specific than that." Grams mutters nonchalantly._

_"Uh.. Ocean's eleven! ER! Up in the air!" Santana adds._

_Grams raises an eyebrow at us. "Okay. Let's do this the easy way. Have I slept with this man?"_

_The adrenaline rush we felt a while ago has been replaced by a deafening silence as we stare directly at Grams with open mouths. The only sound we can hear is our parents laughing like crazy._

_"What?" Grams shrugs. "I might have since I've had my share of famous actors after your grandfather died, God bless his soul. I even slept with Gregory Peck. Ah.. The good 'ol wild days." She winks at us._

_"Oh my god, I will never unhear this." Brianna puts both hands on her face and shakes her head._

_"Mother!" My father quips from the other side with an amused smile much like the rest of them._

_"Oh, alright." Grams sighs and rolls her eyes at them. "Hit me again."_

_"Uh.. He was just married to Amal Alamuddin after vowing not to get married again?" Quinn says._

_"Oh, dear. George Clooney!" Grams exclaims and we nod as we hurriedly motion for her to tilt it forward._

_"Wait. I have slept with him back then." My grandmother adds with a smirk._

_"No!" We say in unison with a groan as we all continue the game._

"Baby?"

I was pulled out of my flashback of spending the previous Holidays when I hear Santana calling out for me in the driver's seat. A year has completely passed by but I still can't get over the butterflies in my stomach whenever she calls me that. Yep, a complete year with Santana Lopez which has been nothing but amazing. We have fights and arguments which revolves mostly around choosing what to eat and random petty stuff. We spent our anniversary in their newly built house in The Hamptons for a few days without any books and law school stuff involved, which is a real highlight for the both of us. Just spending plain, awesome quality time together. I even usually daydream about a montage of us to the tune of "I Can't Help Myself" by Four Tops whenever I miss her. Cheesy but it's true.

We just came back yesterday from spending the weekend after our Winter Term exams with the Lopezes back in New York. The past Holidays was spent with all four families again, and you can say that it's now become a tradition aside from the Formal Attire thing which is kinda cool because we all somehow get along well. I'm extremely glad that San and I's family are tight, to the point that they're making their own plans for us that we only seem to know at the last minute.

Also, we're now Second Year Law Students! Oh, yeah! We survived after working our asses off through our first year and 2L's fall term which was kinda hellish. After doing some cool public interest stuff during the summer and pro bono legal work during winter term, we've finally arrived at the Spring Term of our second year. It's the last week of January and we're actually on our way to school now for our first day back again. Nervous and excited doesn't even cut what I'm feeling right now! The subjects are harder and from what I heard, the professors are stricter. Thankfully, we have an awesome support system by way of our friends in law school and family back at home.

"Yeah?" I reply back with my attention directed at the numerous students walking by the sidewalk.

"Are you okay?"

I take a deep sigh. "I am. Just nervous, I guess."

Santana chuckles. "You'll do fine, honey." She takes my hands and intertwines them with hers. "By the way, have you heard from the reading group that interviewed you last term?"

A reading group is a closed community in which 10-12 students meet up once or twice every week and discuss a certain field of law in which the members would study and report on. It also serves as a source for notes and reviewers, as well as support from the other members by helping or assisting one another in areas of difficulty. It is mostly led by a faculty member who gives assignments for meetings that members of the group will discuss during the said week. There are approximately more than 50 reading groups in campus with their own areas of expertise.

The Dalton is an incredibly famous reading group in campus that boasts of hailing and producing top-notch Harvard Lawyers for almost two decades already. It consists of 25 members, the largest for any reading group in campus - an exception to the rule. It's so exclusive and famous that you can't apply for it, you have to be invited and hand picked by the "superstar" professor or someone who's leading it and undergo a meticulous process before you can get in. Only the best of the best do so.

I remember being approached by its so called President after our class in Criminal Procedure last term. I was shocked to say the least. I never thought of myself as someone who'd be invited to such a prestigious group. I immediately told Santana and Quinn, who were waiting for me at Adam's that day and to my surprise, they were also invited! However, Santana turned it down almost immediately saying that she was already part of another albeit low-key reading group with Kurt and wouldn't want to leave them. You could imagine how crazy the gossip mill was for that week because apparently, no one turns down The Dalton. Santana only shrugged and laughed it off while Rachel was more than willing to invite her to the Jewish reading group she joined.

"Not yet. They'll be posting the results in a few days though."

"You don't sound excited about it."

"I just think that it's one of those things that thrives on exclusivity, you know? I'll be more than happy to join any other reading group. I was in the process of joining one when this came up and everything went on hold. Maybe I'll turn them down like you did if I get in."

Santana sighs and kisses the back of my hand. "It's the best reading group in campus, as they say. Some nerd out there would kill to be in your position, baby. Why don't you give it a chance? Quinn and you are sure bets with your crazy grades."

I roll my eyes at her. "Uh-huh. If you'd actually study instead of watching Keeping up with the Kardashians or playing video games then I'm sure you'll be at the top of our batch."

"It's a public service, really. Being fifth is a good position because there's no pressure. Besides, I wouldn't want Quinn throwing a fit with me bumping her to the second position and my girlfriend to the third."

"Now that I think about it, she might throw you out of the apartment." I jest.

We laugh like schoolgirls and I see that we're nearing school.

"What if we get another Tanaka?" I turn my attention towards Santana.

"I don't think so. Tanaka's the worst of it already, don't you think?"

"I don't know. I mean, there are hundreds of possibilities. We could go from having an awesome, fun teacher who would really teach to one who's downright crazy and would send us ducking in fear."

* * *

We arrived in school after a couple of minutes. It's Monday and I glance at my watch to see that it's only a little before our 9am class. Santana proceeds to park the car beside Mike's and Rachel's and as soon as we alight from it, we were welcomed with hugs and kisses from everyone. Since 2L Fall Term, some of us took up a few of our major courses together with us only being truly separated on our electives and minors. For this term, I'm only sharing 2 required courses with Santana and a few of the others while I'll be sharing the other one only with Quinn.

All of us joined some organizations too, with me joining the Environmental Law Society. Tina and Mike in Asia Law Society. Quinn, Santana, and Mercedes in the Legal Aid Bureau. Kurt in the 2L Social Society and Drama Society with Rachel and the latter, for Jewish Law Students Association. It's fun and crazy hectic at the same time since we're still doing our own review group but we're growing into our own and that's what's important.

Santana and I decided that we should go for our own interests and not join an organization or a class where we feel obliged to do so just because the other is a member. I mean, we see each other everyday and we took all the same major classes together for the past year. We mutually agreed that a little space and air away from each other would be nice as to not create a stuffy environment which could turn to resentment. It's actually a good decision. Everything's been going amazing for us and we've never been stronger.

We reach Austin Hall after walking together then split up as the others go to their own, respective classes. We settle on the third row from the front once we enter the classroom. The room has a black ceiling with numerous lights embedded in it. It approximately has about 8 rows of chairs with a built-in table and the said rows are cut into two columns separated by a flight of short stairs that reaches the entrance at the back. As soon as you enter, the rows of chair will greet you and upon turning your attention in front, a long, straight black board is situated. As per usual, a teacher's table and chair is in front, as well as a podium on the right of the room upon entering. There is also a table near the podium where a computer is placed for slideshow presentations.

The room is almost completely full after a few minutes as students enter hastily with most of them looking sleepy. Thankfully, we arrived earlier or we won't be able to dominate the whole row since almost the whole gang is taking up this class as well as the next one together which is awesome. As we all engage in small talk, a woman who must be in her thirties with dirty blonde hair, slim figure, and wearing a white stylish designer corporate dress enters through the door in front carrying a shoulder bag and leather briefcase. I managed to do a quick glance at Kurt and the others to see them nodding approvingly of what must be the professor's outfit. She's wearing kick-ass heels and I'm in my worn-out slacks. Damn.

A sudden silence envelops the room and as soon as our professor gets settled on her table, she looks up at us with a warm smile.

"Hello everyone, I'm Isabelle Wright and if you're wondering whether you're in the wrong class or not, this is Administrative Law." She tells us with a grin as she walks towards the middle. I can't help but smile at her infectious happy mood as well.

"I understand that this is a particularly hard course for some of the upperclassmen but I can assure you right now that I don't bite, unlike the others." Isabelle mutters jokingly and we all chuckle. "I know that somehow this course is a little difficult and a tad boring, so I'll try to do my best to make things interesting and for all of you to learn."

"I don't do the scary Socratic Method stuff. Instead, I'll be discussing most of the time and you'll be the ones to ask me so I can make things clear. Like, doing it in reverse." Miss Wright says as she walks a little up the stairs to get close to us. "Please don't be scared to ask anything in class. I encourage everyone to come up with smart questions or the ones that particularly confuse you so that we can discuss it thoroughly."

"There are two things that I only ask from all of you. One, to study everything that I assigned so you'll be able to relate during discussion. And two, be interactive. Otherwise, my efforts here in front will only be rendered useless." The teacher approaches the podium. "Now, can I expect those two things from all of you?" She adds with a smile and we all collectively say "Yes" at her.

"Oh, and by the way, I have a rule in my class that whenever I see someone yawn, that person has to put a dollar in this jar." Isabelle pulls out a jar for us to see which is aptly named the 'Yawn Jar'. "And by the end of term, all the proceeds will be given to charity. If, and only if this class doesn't go over 100 dollars and you all do good in the exam, which my previous class back in Fall Term almost did, then I'm going to reward everyone with an Honors grade and awesome pizza party on our last meeting." As soon as everyone heard the word "pizza", we all laugh heartily and cheered.

"Alright, now let's get down to business and get started!" Isabelle exclaims and we all smile as she proceeds to start discussing.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

"She's amazing! Gosh, I think it's the first time we've had such a genuinely approachable teacher as her!" Kurt gushes over Isabelle Wright as we come back to campus after eating our lunch and are now walking to Hauser Hall for our second class that day.

"She is great but I think you're just excited over the fact that someone liked your fashion sense. I mean, who wears a blazer with an animal brooch on it?" I mutter sarcastically but I have to secretly agree that Miss Wright's a pretty dope professor. She discussed extensively and I actually learned something!

"Clearly, more fashion savvy people than you, Satan."

"Yeah, right. I happen to have a great fashion sense unlike you, Porcelain."

"Alright! Stop it, the both of you! We're here already!" Tina cries out with a quick glare at us. I let it go and we just chuckle as we enter what used to be our classroom for Criminal Law during our first year in law school. We enter to see that nothing has changed. From the wood panelling to the ribbon designs on the wall. Well, the chairs are now crimson red though, so that counts. We go to our usual row back when we had a class here and settle on our seats.

"How come there's no professor written in our list for this subject?" I mutter nonchalantly.

"Maybe they hired someone new?" Brittany replies beside me as she gets her materials out.

I nod and do the same as well. "Hey, Britt?"

The blonde looks at me with raised eyebrows and a warm smile.

"I was thinking, maybe we could skip the party on Saturday and just do a night in? I kinda want some alone time with you, if that's okay? Maybe we can watch a few movies while cuddling and munching on some popcorn."

Brittany grins at me. "I'd love that, baby. Can we watch some Disney movies, too?"

I chuckle at her antics and move closer towards her. "Of course. Whatever my princess wants." I say with a smile and lean in for a quick kiss. "I love you, Britt."

"I love you, San." Brittany mutters with a wide grin as we hold each other's gaze for a moment.

And like clockwork, I hear the door open and the room resorts to silence with what seems like the arrival of our professor. I see everyone including Brittany turn their focus in front. You see, I look like a lovesick puppy still staring at my girlfriend lovingly. It was only when Brittany's face turns to seemingly that of shock that I was pulled out of my trance. There were also some whispering going on around the room. To make things weirder, my friends turn to look at me with the same expression as if I'm from the damned Children of the Corn or something. I feel my eyebrows scrunch together at the sight of my whole row looking at me. I glance around to see that all the other rows are doing the same. They're all staring at me! I panic a little and voluntarily copy their reactions for fear that I'm in some batshit crazy horror movie or whatever.

"What?" I say a little loudly, feigning confidence, to no one in particular. They don't react at all.

"San, look!" Brittany finally exclaims and as she motions for me to look in front. When I did, the sight almost made me faint.

It's my mother.

She's dressed in a designer blouse with matching black slacks and setting her stuff on the teacher's table. At first, it made me a little confused as to why she's here. It was only after a couple of seconds that it sinked in.

"Shit!" I exclaim accidentally for everyone to hear.

"Mija! Language, por favor?" Mother exclaims with a slight glare that made me cower a little. The students in the room laughed a little, including some of my friends. Mami clears her throat.

"I'm Maribel Lopez and I will be teaching Evidence."

* * *

This is only a dream. This is only a dream. Alright, maybe not.

I open my eyes to see that my mother is still in front, looking amused at my reaction before turning her attention to everyone else.

"Maybe you've heard of me before or you've seen me doing some interviews regarding some high-profile cases I've done. Or simply because my daughter is studying here." My mother exclaims while some of the students take a quick glance at me.

"However, make no mistake why I'm in front of you. I've been teaching Evidence and Corporations for almost two decades already and let me tell you something outright, Evidence is tricky and difficult. It takes a lot of patience and understanding to get the concepts right and for you not to get baffled and confused by all the rules. It takes immense effort."

"You need to study everything thoroughly and carefully. One detail that you might have missed will cost you your client's demise. So, bear with me as we discuss each topic carefully. I might call on someone every now and then to discuss something but feel free to ask questions. Is that understood?" I see the people in front of me nod frantically.

I can't believe I'm saying this but my mother is rocking it in front with her little introduction. The usual fear that everyone feels towards a professor upon meeting them is replaced with respect. I've sat in a lot of her classes before and the look of her students back then compared to our class now is still the same, they're all enamored by her. It feels like Déjà Vu or some shit. Even my friends and Brittany look like they're so eager to learn from her.

"Alright. Let's go to the basics.." Mami says with a smirk that I'm positive was directed at me as she goes on to discuss.

Class finished a few minutes ago and everyone has left the room except Brittany and I. The time passed with me staring at nothing, still recovering from shock while everyone else was frantically taking note of my mother's thorough and simple discussion about a few cases. We approach her after she finished fixing her things and looks up to see us with a smile on her face.

"Maribel!" Brittany exclaims and goes to hug my mother which the latter accepts with open arms.

"Brittany, my dear. Do I look good from up there?" Mami mutters as soon as they let go of each other.

"You were amazing! This is quite a surprise, why didn't you tell us?"

Mami laughs and shrugs it off. "Well, I thought it would be nice to surprise Santana for once." She does a quick glance at my stoic demeanor.

"Oh, she's surprised, alright. I think she's more shocked than anything, actually."

They both laugh and we all decide to continue the conversation over coffee. I learned that my mother accepted the job so she could see us once a week amidst her busy schedule which was kinda sweet, I must admit. She's been teaching since I was a kid, mostly schools in New York to keep tabs on me as I grow up. Apparently, being my teacher is her way of kinda making it up to me for all these years. We all talked for an hour more before she had to take a flight back to New York for a dinner meeting with Papi and a few clients. I honestly thought that she was staying for the night but there's only a few things she could do so much with her time. I'm really glad that I get to see her often now though.

Oh, and she also told me to study or else, my own mother won't hesitate to fail me.

Dammit.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

Thursday came rolling around faster than I expected.

Our Tuesday class with Miss Wright resulted with a few groans and 5 dollars thrown in the Yawn Jar. Administrative Law is one subject I'm not fond of. If it weren't for her, I would've slept through the whole class.

Wednesday turned out to be uneventful as well. I just spent the whole day studying until Santana came back from her afternoon class yesterday. Add some lady kisses to that as well and suddenly, everything's good in the world. _Wink, wink_.

So, when Quinn and I entered our classroom for our afternoon class in Wasserstein Hall, which is a small enclaved auditorium of sorts, we didn't know what we were in for. The teacher's side is in the middle front of the room with the board directly behind it and instead of individual tables and chairs, it was replaced by a long curved table per row and white chairs behind it surrounding the teacher's area. From the student's entrance, there's only two rows at the back and three rows from both side of the teacher's area.

Quinn and I were happily chatting when a blonde, model looking woman dressed in a black dress entered the room with an assistant who hurriedly carried what looks like her bag and a briefcase and also disappeared almost as instantly as he entered.

The woman looked bored and only stared at us for a while as she takes out a bundle of index cards from her briefcase.

"This is Constitutional Law. I'm Cassandra July." She raises her gaze for a while to look at us. "If you've heard of me, which I'm sure you did, then good for you. If not, well, I'm infamous for probably all the wrong reasons when it comes to class. I came here not to pamper your spoiled asses or give you the grade that you want. It's safe to tell you now that you might have made a mistake choosing this course under me because I will make each and everyone of you give up on your dreams of becoming a lawyer, sooner or later." Miss July proceeds to approach a man who's seating in the first row looking genuinely scared. Quinn and I share a tense stare before gulping heavily.

"Ken Tanaka? Please." She dismissed with a wave. "He's just foreplay. I am the real deal. I run this place like I freaking own it. And I will not hesitate to kick you out of my class or fail you or be the reason why you won't be able to graduate. And you know why?" The man only stares in fear as she smirks. "Because I. Don't. Care."

She walks back to her table and continues without looking at us. "I'm sure you've heard the stories about me from the upperclassmen. It's true that unlike the school, I don't do the Honors, Low Pass bullshit. It's either you Pass or Fail this subject and that's it. For all my teaching career, only few have ever passed my finals exam. Three, to be exact." I gulp heavily. "I actually mean to scare all of you because in every class that I've handled, only 5 out of 60 usually passes the course. So, for those who don't make it, thank you for paying my rent and bills." She smirks and takes a step back then suddenly looks like she's thinking for a moment.

"By the way, I won't be able to meet you tomorrow. I have some business to attend to in New York. So, be prepared with the next 100 cases because you'll be discussing them. If you won't be able to recite, either I fail you on the spot or kick you out of the room. Depends if I like the weather." I gulp heavily. She's like Tanaka, only worse.

"Porter?" Miss July calls out from an index card and a frail young girl stands up looking scared as hell.

"Recite the Preamble. Verbatim." Cassandra July goes back to her seat and crosses her legs and arms while looking at the girl.

The Porter Girl proceeds to recite the First Amendment slowly and shakily with random words that are not in the provision being spewed out. The blonde teacher rolls her eyes and cuts her.

"Did you know that sugar contains chemicals that makes you stupid, Miss Porter?"

The girl cowers in fear and doesn't react at all.

"Well, clearly you've ingested a whole lot of them to make a Coca-Cola factory out of you." She rolls her eyes again and picks out a card without caring that the frail girl almost looks like crying as she stands frozen. "Fabray?"

I look beside me and see Quinn standing up in an instant. I think she's even shaking.

"Recite it verbatim."

Quinn did so and at ease as Miss July doesn't look at her at all. She was almost finished when the blonde teacher cuts again.

"Let's say that the Preamble didn't exactly qualify who 'We' is, what do you think comprises it? What does 'We' even mean? Do you think that the Preamble is leaving out some persons in our country? Would you happen to have a legal basis as well?"

Quinn stared at Miss July. It wasn't only after a second that she spoke up looking confused. "Pardon me, ma'am. Can you repeat the question?"

Miss July glared back at her, she didn't make any other comment. Instead, she drew another card and called another student while Quinn is left gaping in the corner and eventually, she just sat down out of embarrassment. I feel my eyebrows scrunch at this. Our whole week went by nicely with nice professors like Miss Wright and Santana's mom coming into the picture then suddenly, we're given such a jerk of a teacher. She's heartless!

"You."

Miss July's voice resonates in the whole room. I'm pulled out my thoughts and surprised to see that she's glaring back at me.

"Blondie, I said you!"

I'm taken aback by the sharpness in her voice and I stand up immediately.

"You don't like me, huh? You were looking at me like I killed someone."

"I.. Uh-"

"Did my conversation with Miss Fabray offend you?"

"No, I-I just-"

"Sssh.." She says and motions for me to shut me up. "Recite the Preamble."

I sigh deeply and proceed to get the first few words out when I was cut mid-sentence.

"Stop." July exclaims. I was immediately worried because as far I'm concerned, I haven't gotten a word wrong yet.

"Backwards. Verbatim." She added and my face almost fell. I can hear the gasps around the room as soon as she said that.

I close my eyes for a moment and imagine the words to the provision as I slowly tread my way through it and miraculously recite the whole thing backwards, word for word. When I was done, July didn't bat an eye and only stared at me for a moment.

"Give me the facts for the case of US v. Boyer."

Everyone was whispering. The case was not included in the assignment nor in our syllabus. Actually, it's one of those cases that's only mentioned in the footnotes but were somehow of some importance. _July's testing me._ Luckily, I stumbled across it when I was reviewing yesterday and I try to remember it since I only read it in passing. After a few seconds, I give her the facts of the case while stuttering a little and after I did so, she looked at me coldly.

"You think you're so smart?" It sounded sarcastically rhetorical. "What's your name?"

"P-Pierce. Brittany Pierce."

"Well, let me tell you something, Miss Pierce." July emphasized my last name with disdain as she approaches my seat. "I don't like you. You attitude sucks and I hate it."

This is all terribly overwhelming. I feel like my chest is about to burst from anxiety.

"Explain the essence of the Preamble as a social contract of democratic philosophy and in relation to that of its origin, scope, and purpose."

What? What the hell does that even mean?

I look at Quinn and see her having the same clueless expression as I am. Actually, everyone looks shocked and clueless.

"I-I don't know the answer, ma'am"

"Oh, you don't know?" July laughs sarcastically and looks at me like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "That's so easy that you might as well jump off a bridge to rid yourself of stupidity."

_Deep breaths, Britt. Deep breaths. Don't cry._

"But-"

"Did I ask for you opinion? Does it even matter?" July scoffs. "So, what? You came here from wherever the hell it is that you came from to teach me how to run my class?"

"N-no. I came here to learn." I whisper so lightly that I'm surprised she even heard it.

"Well then, you're at the wrong place. I am here to test you of what you know, not to teach all the shenanigans that's already in your books." July raises a small book in emphasis. "You are on my list, Blondie. It will take a miracle from the heavens to make you pass this course, let me tell you that."

I'm staring at the floor and try desperately to hold back the tears. July stands up and walk towards me.

"You are as generic as the rest of them, there's nothing special about you. Do yourself a favor and just go home because you will never be a lawyer. You don't deserve to be here at all." She stares into my eyes with a deadly expression.

"Class dismissed." And off she went strutting out of the classroom as her assistant hurriedly gathers her things while I'm left gaping just like the others.

* * *

"Britt, are you okay?" Santana mutters beside me.

Quinn and I went to Adam's after our class to meet the others. Both of us were still visibly shaken by the encounter that we didn't utter a single word as we walked. When we arrived at the shop, it must have been a few minutes before they got us talking and after which we discussed what happened. Right now, Santana's furious over the events that transpired and I try to calm her down as best as I can.

"I'm fine. I thought she was going to fail me on the spot or something."

"She's such a fucking bitch." San exclaims in anger. "We have to do something about her. I'll transfer to your class."

"What? No! Don't do that, please."

"Why the hell not?" Santana snaps back at me.

"It's only going to be worse if we retaliate. Besides, we can't transfer classes anymore. We're stuck with her." I say with an exasperated sigh and cover my face with my hands as I try to think of a remedy to the situation.

Suddenly, Kurt and the others comes barging in the shop. "Guys! The Dalton just posted the results for new members!"

We all turn our head to look at him. He tries to build up the suspense but after a few seconds, his smile gives it away.

"Quinn and Brittany are in!"

It brought a smile to my face as they all cheered for Quinn and I. I admit, it is kinda cool to be accepted and thought of as a worthy member of such a prestigious group. We all talk about the other members that got in as well. Apparently, only 5 new members were inducted into the reading group. According to Kurt, one was a freshman, another is a 3L, and one who's a 2L transferee from Yale.

"Ladies, drinks on the house for the both of you. Congratulations!" Adam mutters as he places two cups of coffee in front of Quinn and I. We thanked him as we talk some more amongst ourselves while we fill in the others about what happened. I see their faces contort to that of surprise, anger, confusion, then some more unidentified ones.

"So, what's your plan now, Britt?" Kurt asks.

I sigh deeply. I remember what Grams had told me before about what I should do when people who would constantly doubt, try to get me down, or have no faith in me whatsoever should ever bully me again. That conversation took place just after I transferred schools during high school and my confidence level was probably lower than that of the temperature in Chicago during winter. But it's all different now. I have an unbelievably supportive family and extended ones, awesome friends, and an amazing girlfriend. I smiled wickedly at no one in particular.

"I'm gonna prove her wrong."

* * *

**I wanna know what you think! Don't forget to review this chapter!**


	15. Chapter 15

**\- Santana POV -**

"And that's another dollar for you, Miss Lopez. A total of 4 dollars already." Isabelle exclaims from the podium as the Yawn Jar is handed my way.

I sigh and try to suppress another incoming yawn or else, I'll have to ask if she accepts credit card for the Jar.

"Is this class boring you or perhaps you're not feeling well?" Wright asks anxiously.

My eyes widen at the prospect of offending her. "Oh no, ma'am! Just a terrible migraine but it's thankfully disappearing. Sorry for disrupting class." I reply with an apologetic smile which she returns then goes back to discussing Political Parties.

That wasn't necessarily the whole truth. I was actually up all night half-studying for my classes and half-watching My Strange Addiction, and the lack of sleep ultimately resulted to my migraine.

For once in my life, I feel obligated to study because I'm a hundred percent sure that my mother won't go easy on me. I don't want to embarrass myself or her during class, so I need to step up right now. Nevertheless, I wouldn't want to disappoint her. The least I could do is do my part and make her proud or at least try.

"Do you need water, sweetie? I think I have an aspirin here as well." Brittany worriedly says beside me.

"Nah, I'm good. I guess I just need sleep."

I managed to hold it in during the last hour of our class. I kinda had to since I don't have anymore cash on me that time. After lunch, we decided to go early to Hauser Hall so we can study a little before class. As we settle ourselves in our seats for Evidence, Brittany speaks up.

"Hey, San?"

"Yeah?" I say without looking at her as I organize my stuff on the table.

"The Dalton informed Quinn and I this morning that our regular meetings would be every Tuesday and Friday night this term."

I feel my eyebrows scrunch at that information. "Won't that be such a hassle, specially for you? Quinn doesn't have Admin like we do, so that would be fine since she can study for Con Law. You only have Wednesday to study for It."

"I know but I can't exactly demand for them to change the schedule for me, right?"

"You're right." I sigh. "Are you sure you can juggle everything? I'm sure you can but I can't help but be worried that you'll overwork yourself with everything."

"Don't worry, baby. I'll try to balance everything and make sure that you're number one my list, if that's what worries you." Brittany say with a smirk. "I'll even place 'sex with my hot girlfriend' at the top of my priorities."

"Uh-huh. You know what I mean about overworking yourself." I give her a look and she nods. "It's gonna be hell if you don't get your mack on though, it was evident when we thrashed my room last Saturday."

"I think it's the other way around, San. You practically pounced on me the whole time."

We chuckle heartily before we settle in a comfortable silence and study a bit more for our class while playing Footsie.

* * *

Class flew by without anyone getting called. I studied all night preparing for it only to realize that I wasn't near ready for class or will I ever be. 4 hours of studying almost a hundred pages only for my mother to discuss it with relative ease in a little over half an hour that made me understand every little thing, making me feel like a fool for even studying all night in the first place. _That's law school for you, folks!_

Brittany, Quinn, and I decided to accompany my mother for a while before she goes to Boston for dinner with a former client then journey back home to NYC. We decide to go to Adam's and settle on a corner booth for some privacy.

"So, how's the term going so far?" Mami asks no one in particular as she takes a sip of her coffee.

No one replied. Instead, Britt and Quinn give out an extremely deep sigh and a forced smile.

"Uh-oh. Someone giving you girls trouble?"

"You can say that, Maribel." Brittany says defeatedly and looks around us before continuing. "Our Admin Law professor is really nice but we can't say the same about Quinn and I's Con Law."

"Yeah. She's kinda strict and difficult to grasp." Quinn whispers while sharing a glance with Brittany.

"Who is she?"

"Cassandra July." Quinn replies instantly.

Mother raises her eyebrows in surprise. "I know her."

We collectively gasp in shock and lean closer towards her. "What? How? Why?" I exclaim.

"Cassie was my student in Columbia, probably a decade ago. A smart girl and an exceptionally gifted student. I can rate her as one of the best pupils I've had, together with Carl Howell, as you know him." Mami says. "Carl replaced her as my associate after she branched out on her own after a few years."

"Wait, so she was your associate, too? How come she's not familiar?" I reply, dumbfounded at the new information.

"You were still a kid back then, Mija. Besides, she only stayed for a few years until someone offered her a partnership. I was the one who egged her on to accept it like Carl, actually."

"But that doesn't make sense, you're saying that she's nice and all that. She's anything but during our class last week." Brittany exclaims.

"Well, that I don't know." Mami mutters. "During her first few years as a lawyer, Cassie was driven to learn the ropes and grew into a good lawyer during her stay with the firm. But years after she left and during a nasty divorce case proceeding in court, Cassie went ballistic on her own client for some reason and was held in contempt by the judge. She became infamous because of that, I forgot the name they gave-"

"Crazy July." Quinn mutters. "Rachel mentioned that story once."

"Yes, that." Mami nods. "I still think that she was unfairly judged by everyone because she really is a great lawyer, after all." She adds and continues to drink her coffee.

We settle in a relative silence. July was once human, after all. Maybe it was stress or something that drove her to go crazy and it might have been the reason why she's such a freaking bitch right now. Who knows?

* * *

Britt and I went back to my place after my mother went on her way to Boston. I volunteered to prepare dinner for her while she studies intently for ConLaw. I put the pork chops in the oven and set the timer then make my towards the dining table where she's studying. I sit beside her and just look at her for a moment to see that she's serious while mouthing some words. I smile at the scene in front of me as I rest my elbows upright on the table and support my head with it.

"You know, I've noticed something." I say and she only hums at me with her eyes still on her book. "You've never cooked for me except that one time before our first date."

Brittany chuckles then turns her attention towards me for a second. "It's because I don't know how to cook, baby."

I squint my eyes at her in disbelief. "Come on, you cooked that awesome grilled cheese for me."

"It's the only thing I can cook. I perfected the recipe over years of practice."

"I didn't know that."

"I almost set our kitchen on fire twice before and since then, they don't let me cook anymore. I only do the dishes or set the table when needed." Brittany gives out a small laugh.

So that's why whenever I suggest that Britt and I would cook dinner for the Pierces, their eyes would get so wide and instead, volunteer in place for us to cook.

"Twice? What did you try to cook?"

"Pancakes. Two consecutive mornings." Brittany says with a grin.

Oh my god. I need to remind myself not to let her touch anything in my kitchen again.

After a few minutes, the timer sets off and I retrieve my hopefully done pork chops from the oven. But of course, Berry and Quinn had to enter the apartment at this exact moment as I slice through it to see that it's perfectly cooked. The type that Gordon Ramsay would fucking compliment me for my fucking perfect Pork Fucking Chops without going all Hell's Kitchen on me. Yeah, that's what he'd say for fucking sure. That man's like a swear word that grew a human being out of need to deliver his epic lines.

"Just in time for the dinner you girls weren't invited to." I sarcastically tell them with an eye roll which Quinn returned instantly.

"Well, I didn't know you'd be here, Satan." Quinn scoffs.

"Q, it's a joke. I'm being sarcastic. You know what a joke is, right? It's meant to make you laugh or dig some happy emotions from somewhere inside your humorless body."

"Hey, Quinn, Rachel!" Brittany shouts from the dining area as she puts away her stuff. The two greet her back. "Don't believe her. Santana actually made for four people, come help me set the table!"

I sigh and Rachel goes to help Brittany while Quinn smirks at me. "Looks like you were totally expecting us after all, S."

"Whatever." I scoff.

"If it makes you feel better, we brought dessert!" Rachel exclaims from the dining table.

"Yeah, yeah. I think I have some leftover grass from Harvard Yard for you, Berry!"

"You know, we should make a schedule or anything that would say where the other couple is staying so we won't run into each other a lot like this." Quinn mutters as she helps me with the potatoes and veggies for the Pork Chops.

"Really, Q? After a year of dating them do we only think of that now? When we've already walked in on each other having sex at least once, which for the record, is eerily creepy and embarrassing for everyone!"

"Hey, it's awkward for everyone! I mean, how could you even think of having sex on the dining table? We eat there! I had to wipe it countless times with the strongest cleaning stuff I can find after that."

"Yeah, like your little role play at Britt's didn't make me throw up."

"That was hot, actually. I didn't know Rachel could be so flexible like that." Quinn smirks at me.

"Oh God, I could barely sleep after that abomination. Stop before I throw up in your girlfriend's veggies." I say with disgust and Quinn chuckles at me. "Why don't you just move in together so we won't run into each other's date nights again like this?" I mutter sarcastically.

I laugh and realized that I was doing it alone. When I didn't get a witty comeback like usual, I glance at Quinn and see her pursing her lips and absentmindedly placing the last of the potatoes on a plate. It's as if she's thinking of something deep, like she's at odds about something. I know that look.

Oh no.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

"San, it's only a five minute ride from here. Besides, what good are those installed stuff if I barely use them at all?"

"But it's already 6pm and that won't end for another hour or two. It's not a safe time to go wandering on your bike."

"Baby, you have to stop worrying so much. Riding my bike is perfectly safe and I don't want you to spoil me so much by driving me everywhere I need to go. I'll be here before you know it, okay?"

"No, let me drive you this time. Just this once, please?" Santana pouts. "I need to study for my class tomorrow in the library, as well."

"I can take her." Quinn chimes in.

"I thought you were in school? Why are you here?" Santana sneers.

"Uh.. My girlfriend lives here, like yours does? Because they're roommates? And I can visit her whenever I damn well like?" Quinn turns to me. "No offense, Britt. I've just always wanted to say that, you know. Like, totally movie star-like delivery. With conviction and all that crap."

I nod seriously. "Yeah, I get you. None taken."

"Hello? I'm right here." Santana scoffs. "You know what? We're really gonna make that darn chart about staying at each other's place." Santana rolls her eyes at Quinn.

"Guys, come on." I say while rubbing my temples. "Alright, how about this," I face Santana. "I'll catch a ride with Quinn to that Dalton meeting then maybe you could fetch me after and we'll stay at your place?" I turn to Quinn. "Unless you and Rach are already planning to stay there?"

"Nah, that could work. I'll spend the night here." Quinn quips.

"Why do you have a say in this? When did you enter the conversation, Q?" Santana mutters exasperated.

I feel like laughing at the scene before me but based on Santana's overall mood for the day so far, I'd rather not.

"Alright, enough of that. We have to go now or risk running late on the first meeting. Wait for me, okay?" I say and kiss Santana on the lips which made her calm down a little.

"Someone needs to get laid!" Quinn sing-songs.

Santana heavily rolls her eyes at Quinn with her arms crossed. "I am a good person who is not capable of committing homicide against my friend." She whispers to herself loud enough that we chuckle.

Suddenly, a door opens and Rachel walks into the living room with us. "You girls really should be leaving, you're already late as it is."

I nod. "Yeah. You guys study well for your class tomorrow." I turn my attention to Santana and kiss her again. "I love you, baby. I'll call you as soon as we're finished."

I bid Rachel and Santana goodbye as Quinn and I hurriedly leave for the meeting. Before shutting the door to my apartment though, I heard a faint "How about we watch Moulin Rouge for the third time again?" followed by a loud groan.

* * *

We enter a small room in Wasserstein Hall but instead of the usual classroom setting, this one's designed for a group meeting set- up. It's significantly smaller with only five rows inside - one at the back and two at each side of the teacher's area - and only 5 chairs per row.

Thankfully, we weren't late but it seems like we were the last ones to get there because only two seats were left available at the front row of the room's left side. We settle in them and look around to see the others conversing with each other. If you look around closely though, you'll manage to pinpoint the new members because we were the only ones not talking and looking around like what I'm doing. Simply speaking, we stick out like a sore thumb.

As I look around, my eyes eventually fall on a pair of hazel ones directly staring back at me from across the other side of the room. Upon inspection, behind those hazel eyes is a woman with long red hair, accentuated cheek bones, and thin lips. She's wearing a loose blue sweater, skinny jeans, and some comfortable looking loafers. From here, I could see that the girl obviously works out too. She's probably fit enough to run a mile and still be confident enough to race you for another one. This girl could pass as a model or an actor. Anyone can see that.

It took me at least a minute to realize that I'm still staring at her. Those lips have now turned into a full-on smirk. I clear my throat at the discovery of what I'm doing and remove my gaze on her.

Suddenly, a blonde, thin guy with glasses from the front row stands up and introduces himself as the so-called President of the group. He went on to discuss a few irrelevant matters regarding other reading groups in campus then eventually introduced us, the new members, to stand up. It was also when I realized that the mystery girl across from us stood up too and looked me in the eyes again. I disregard this. Instead, I turn my attention to the other irrelevant matters our President was saying.

Shortly after, we were gathered over a little meal where we mingled with some of the old members who kept asking us questions about some of my and Quinn's professors this term, they all grin widely when they heard Isabelle's name while Maribel's elicited a tight-lipped smile because they all know her but this is the first time she ever taught in Harvard, as they say.

The conversation then shifted to a few standard questions about dating Santana - "how long have you been dating?", "have you met her parents?", "what's it like to date her?" - which apparently, the whole school knows about. What's funny though is how fast their smile turns into seriousness and for some, anger, when they hear the name Cassandra July. It's almost comical, actually. After that, they steer the topic to something else law school related entirely.

After an hour and a half, the President decided to let us all go but not without giving everyone assignments focusing on Family Law next meeting where as he says, the real work starts for everyone. Quinn and I were luckily given a few reviewers for ConLaw by the upperclassmen and were told to study feverishly like our life depended on it. We decided to take that by heart.

I called Santana a few minutes ago to tell her that the meeting just ended and she was more than excited to get out of our apartment because apparently, Rachel's planning to make her watch Grease now. I bid Quinn goodnight and after some nudging and hesitation from her, I walk her to her car while waiting for Santana. As soon as she left, I walk back towards the building's side and sit on the bench to wait. There were still a few students walking around and chatting a little, so it didn't really scare me.

"Hi."

I hear a soft voice call out and I immediately whip my head to the right to see the mystery girl earlier looking down at me with a soft smile. By now, I could make out that she's about 5'4 in height and has a good stance. I'm not sure exactly what I should do during situations like this. I mean, I'm not that clueless. I know she was definitely trying to flirt with me back there.

"Hey." I reply back innocently with a small smile.

"Can I sit with you?"

My eyebrows must have raised in surprise. I nod. "Uh.. Yeah. Go ahead."

"Waiting for someone?"

I turn to face her then smile and nod. "My girlfriend, actually."

She smiles and nods as well. "Well, it's doubtful that someone as beautiful as you would stay single at all."

Still hitting on someone even if you know they're taken, huh. I just give a tight-lipped smile without looking at her. "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm single."

My eyes widen at the misunderstanding. "N-no, I mean, are you waiting on someone?"

She was taken aback and looks genuinely embarrassed too. "O-oh. Yeah, my ride home." The girl clears her throat. "I'm Laura, by the way." The girl adds and holds out her hand for me to shake which I take after a couple of seconds.

"Brittany." I say with a smile.

"Does she go here, as well? The girlfriend?"

"Yeah, she does."

She nods. "Harvard sure looks peaceful at night."

"Yeah. But nothing beats it during the Fall term."

"Well, that's something I look forward to since I've yet to see it."

I squint my eyes at her. "Wait, you've never seen it? What are you, a vampire or something?"

The girl chuckles at me. "No, I've actually just tra-"

Suddenly, I hear an engine and see some lights coming from afar. The few students around stop in their tracks and glance where the sound is coming from. After a few seconds, Santana stops her car in front of the building and for added effect, she gets out and leans by the roof of her car.

I look at the girl beside me again and smile at her as I gather my stuff and stand up. "Sorry, I have to go. It's nice to meet you, Laura. See you around campus."

I open the door of the car but before I hop in, I see Santana glaring at Laura who's still sitting by the bench fumbling with her phone. I call Santana's attention to get in the car which she does eventually.

"Who was that?" Santana asks, looking irritated, as we pull out from the building.

"Her name's Laura. She's a new member of Dalton as well."

Santana didn't react nor did she reply or speak for next ten minutes. I let it go for a while. It was only when we enter her apartment and close the door that I couldn't deal with it anymore. I hug her from behind and rest my chin on her shoulder.

"What's the problem?"

Still no reaction.

"Babe, please tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Santana mutters and releases my hold on her to face me.

"Is this about that girl Laura?"

Silence.

"We were just talking while I was waiting for you."

The brunette bites her lip and doesn't talk for a few seconds. Wait a minute, is she..? She is! She totally is!

"Wait. Are you jealous?" I say, with a little smirk on my face.

"W-what? Of course not!"

"You so are!"

"I'm not jealous!" Santana crosses her arms and doesn't look at me.

"Whatever you say, San." I nod and purse my lips all-knowingly. I smirk even wider when she rolls her eyes at me.

I proceed to unbutton my shirt, leaving them on the ground and walk towards the hall leading to her room. I unclasp my bra and throw them on the sofa then look back at Santana who's staring at me with lust now in her eyes while I smirk back.

"I'm gonna take a shower. Are you coming with me?"

Of course she did.

* * *

Turns out Miss July liked the weather that day. And the day after that.

Luckily enough, Quinn and I didn't get called on our Thursday class. But after shuffling the index cards countless times, we weren't so lucky the day after. Quinn was called and made to discuss a lengthy case but after a few hiccups, she managed to get by.

I was supposed to be called, I know it. I saw Miss July taking a quick glance at me before putting an index card at the bottom of the deck which confused me. Maybe it's because we started off on the wrong foot? Or I recited already? Or something worse like she failed me already? But that's impossible, she contemplated for a while about what to do with it before deciding on skipping on me. Weird.

Well, the class finished with one person being thrown out of the room for being unprepared and another one was almost hit by a flying book because of fumbling and mixing up some words in the provision with what must be the lyrics to Sir Mix-A-Lot's song.

I was fixing my stuff and exchanging a few words with Quinn when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I glance at the random person behind me to see a familiar face smiling at me. She's carrying a book and wearing a black tank top and blue cardigan, with black slim slacks and matching shoes.

"Hi! We've met the other night before. Brittany, right?"

I squint my eyes to try and recall where I met her and it clicked. "Oh, yeah. Brittany Pierce. You're Laura, right? Sorry, I didn't get your last name."

"Laura Castle." The girl smiles. "I see that we're taking the same ConLaw class." I raise an eyebrow because it's the first time I've seen her in this class.

"Oh! I only came to this class yesterday, if that's what you're wondering. I recently just transferred from Yale and I'm still kinda learning the ropes of Harvard." Laura mutters nervously. "Sorry if I'm rambling, this usually only happens to me when I'm around pretty girls like you." She adds with a little smirk and made me blush a little.

Suddenly, Quinn comes up beside me and goes for a rescue. "Hi there, you must be the new girl they were talking about."

I motion towards the blonde. "Quinn, this is Laura Castle. Laura, this is Quinn Fabray." I say.

"Wait, you're_ a_ Castle?"

"Yeah, I am." Laura replies with a smirk.

"I'm not following." I chime in, a bit confused.

"The Castles are a family of lawyers. Yale grads, actually." Quinn mutters and turns to her again. "So, why did you transfer to Harvard?"

The redhead looked uneasy or maybe it's just my imagination. "I needed a change of scenery, I guess."

We processed that information for a second. "That's cool." Quinn and I nod then the blonde turns to face me. "Anyway, I'm going to the library and meet with Rachel. You coming?"

"Yeah. Santana's waiti-"

"Britt?"

The unmistakeable, raspy voice of Santana resonates the room. I turn to look at the door and see her walking with Rachel towards us.

"Hey! I thought you guys were waiting for us in Langdell?" I reply. As she approaches us, I notice that her attention wasn't on me at all but at the girl in front of me. It wasn't just a stare, she's glaring hard at her. The tension in the room is apparent.

"Yeah, but Berry's been craving for sweets and I wanted to surprise you." Santana mutters nonchalantly while still looking at the redhead.

"Hi." The girl mutters with a hard tone.

"Oh, how rude of me. Rachel, San, this is Laura Castle, our co-member in Dalton and a classmate in ConLaw. She just transferred from Yale." I exclaim. "This is Rachel Berry, my best friend." I motion towards Rachel.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you!" Rach says as she shakes the ginger's hand.

"And this is Santana Lopez, my girlfriend." The redhead holds out her hand for Santana but the latter ignores her and only glares. The mild tension in the room awhile ago multiplied a whole lot more.

"I guess it's not so nice to meet me, as well, huh?" She says sarcastically with a smirk which only irked Santana more. The latter only gave a barely visible smile that disappeared in a microsecond.

"Anyway," Quinn exclaims to break the tension. "I need some sugar in me right now if I wanna stay awake for the next half hour and study. So.."

"Yeah, we should get going." Santana scoffs.

"That's fine. I have another class too." The new girl mutters while glaring at Santana as well.

I sign and turn to face Laura again and smile. "Sorry we have to go. See you around!" I add and drag Santana out of the room with Quinn and Rachel. It was only when we reach the parking lot that I finally spoke.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Santana mutters irritatingly.

"You were mean to her back there."

"Well, I don't like her."

"Okay, we'll just meet you lovebirds there!" Rachel exclaims hurriedly from somewhere because next thing I knew, they've pulled out of their spot already.

A short silence takes over before I speak again.

"Laura's new here. She's just making friends."

"I don't like the way she looks at you. It's totally not the friendship material kind." Santana sneers.

I inadvertently laugh. Someone's jelly!

"Why are you amused that I'm pissed off?" She adds.

"I'm not amused. Well, I am. A bit." I smirk and come closer towards her. "I don't wanna fight about this, San. Besides, I think you're kinda adorable when you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous!"

"You're puffing your chest and turning red in the face." I say with a smirk and she instantly picks it up after raising an eyebrow at me.

"It's not your fault that they hover, I mean no disrespect. You're too sexy beautiful and everybody wants a taste, that's why."

We stare at each other for a while then instantly laugh out loud.

"Oh my god, we did not just quote Nick Jonas!" Santana exclaims, still laughing.

"It's really catchy though."

"You're such a dork." Santana mutters leaning closer towards me.

"I'm your dork." I reply as I bit my lip.

Santana kisses me deeply as we hold each other close for a moment. Needless to say, we never followed them to Adam's.

_Wink, wink._

* * *

**Xoxo**


	16. Chapter 16

**\- Brittany POV -**

I hate procrastinating.

Quinn and I are studying in the library for our Constitutional Law class that isn't for another hour. We're kinda cramming right now because we're nowhere near close in finishing everything and July went on a rampage yesterday when a few people weren't able to answer her questions. To add to that, we weren't called yesterday, so its highly likely that we would be called today. We can't take chances because to say the least, a 100 damn cases and 150 pages in our book - all assigned just yesterday - is no joke.

It's also a Friday, which means that we have a Dalton meeting later. So far, the load has been relatively normal with only a bit of difficulty when we're tackling some hard cases. Being a member has its perks though. Some students look at us with awe and a bit more respect now. Sometimes, they literally part when Quinn, Santana, and I walk the halls. Granted, Santana rejected the Dalton but this only made her more popular and notorious in campus. About Rachel, well, she's happy doing her own thing with the various organizations that she joined and can't even stop going on about it whenever we talk. She's famous in the Drama Society with Kurt from what I heard.

Yeah, everything's a handful right now. We have to work twice as hard to maintain our grades and catch up on everything. We can't let up with Evidence and Admin Law too since Maribel is teaching the former course and we can't afford to slip up when the time comes that she'll call us. I even heard that she gives an extremely difficult exam.

Throughout this whole crazy time right now, I've been unbelievable lax in handling school stuff. Or at least that's what I think. Sometimes I'm not able to finish the assigned readings or worse, I haven't been able to reach half of it before it's time for class and I just send a prayer up to the heavens that I won't be called for fear of embarrassment. Rachel told me that it's not the case, it just so happened that there are too many assigned readings for us to finish. That even Quinn is having difficulty in juggling her time finishing the assignments.

I can't help but sometimes feel guilty of skipping out on myself whenever I go on a date with Santana. Like instead of watching a movie with her, I should just be studying a mountain of cases and I'm not exaggerating on that part. But how can I do that when the only thing that's keeping me sane is spending time with her? And the sex. Let's not forget about that. Maybe I'm just stressed, like a lot.

"Don't worry, you're not the only one who feels like breaking down from too much stress right now." Quinn mutters while still looking at her notes.

I look up at her and sigh. "I don't know if I should be thankful or sad about that."

"Well, I've just reached half of all the assigned cases and I can barely remember the facts or issues of the past 74 cases nor the book. So, yeah. Be thankful that you're not the only one who wants to kill yourself over this."

I close my book then perch my elbow on the table and cover my face with my hands before looking back at her. "I can't register anything anymore, Quinn. My brain's telling me to give up and just face the music."

"Me too." Quinn sighs and closes her book, as well. We settle in a comfortable silence for a minute.

"Are you going to the Delta Gamma party later after the meeting? I think all our friends are going."

"I'm not sure. I'm still thinking if I'll sleep first or drink a whole bottle of tequila instead." Quinn quips.

"The tequila looks appetizing right now." I reply and we both laugh a little. "So, how are you and Rachel?"

"We're okay. Just kinda busy right now with everything. We try hard and get a hold of each other whenever the time permits us to do so." I nod and smile at that. "How about you and Santana?"

"Same, same. It's hard to make time right now with everything that's going on. But we try."

Quinn nods and seems to be thinking about something first before speaking. "So, has Rachel told you anything?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Just anything?"

I pause and think about it for a moment. "No, she hasn't. Is she supposed to tell me something?"

Quinn shakes her head and smiles. "Nothing important." She clears her throat. "Anyway, we have to go now or we'll risk running late."

I look at her skeptically for a minute but disregard it and pack my stuff.

* * *

Cassie July isn't in a good mood. Word is, she's handling a difficult case and is as heavily stressed as we are. That doesn't bode well for the class. Two hours have passed and we're still enduring her wrath. Several people were told things that you wish to never hear in your life, a book or two has been thrown, people have been asked to leave, one student was told that he's been failed on the spot but that was retracted when he managed to answer a do-or-die question by her. Cassie's eyes must have rolled a hundred times already, literally.

"Castle?"

Suddenly, Laura stands up from the other side of the room.

"Are you related to _the_ Castles?" July asks her with a raised eyebrow.

Laura nods.

"Then what the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Yale or wherever it is that your family goes to?"

"I-I.. Uh.."

"Don't answer that. Discuss the case of Karcher v. Daggett."

Shit. I'm in trouble. I wasn't able to reach that part like the rest of the class who are all panicking right now unlike the redhead who recited the case with ease and only stopped to answer a few questions July had for her. I didn't listen since I tried to get ahead and read a little on the case briefs I had of the next few cases. I looked up after a while to see July nodding at whatever Laura was saying and seeing that there were no profanities being shouted and no one was thrown out, it's safe to say that it went well for her.

"Finally! Someone I can have a decent conversation with." July exclaims with another eye roll. I look at Laura who's smirking and does a side glance at me before sitting down.

My heart is beating out of my chest right now and I'm praying hard that I won't be called next. I look at July who just drew another card and stared at it for a while before looking up with a raised eyebrow, searching for the name.

"Pierce."

Oh no.

Her eyes met mine and I feel myself tremble in fear as I slowly stand up and send a quick prayer to the Gods. July glares at me for a second before crossing her arms and legs.

"Section Three, Clause 1 provides that each state is only entitled to two Senators for a term of six years, isn't it?" I nod. "Alright. Recite Article 1, Section 3, Clause 3 of the 1789 Constitution and discuss how you understood it in itself."

I gulp heavily then proceed to recite the provision verbatim. "Section 3 establishes the qualifications of a Senator." I add.

July purses her lips while staring at the floor before looking back at me. "So, let's say that I want to run as a Senator but I'm only 29 years old on the day of the election. Can I run?"

"No, ma'am. You can't."

"Okay. What if on the day of the election, I turn 30. Am I eligible now?"

I pause for a second. "Yes. As long as the other requirements are satisfied."

July raises an eyebrow. "Alright, Pierce." She says. "The Section provides that if I decide to run as a Senator, I must reside in the state which I choose to represent at the time of the election, right?"

I nod.

"Correct. So, what if I run as a Senator for the state of Massachusetts but I live in let's say, New York. Am I eligible?"

Here we go. "No, ma'am."

July nods. "Let's say that I've been renting an apartment here in Cambridge for a year but also own one in Manhattan. Can I run as a Senator here?"

"I believe so. Since you maintain a residence in Cambridge."

"You believe so?" July mirrors my words with sarcasm. "So, just because I 'maintain a residence' here means that I can run even if I live and own an apartment in NYC?"

_Wait.._ "Uh.. No, ma'am. I-"

"So, you're saying that if I maintain two residences, I can run as a Senator in both states?"

_Now I'm confused._ "No, I-"

"What do you mean 'no'? You just said a while ago that if I maintain a residence here, I can run as a Senator even if I live in NYC. Stick to your guns, Miss Pierce."

I take a deep breath._ Don't let her get to you, Britt._ "What I mean, is that you can only run in the state where you reside at the time of the election."

"'At the time of the election'? Would you care to expound on that?"

"It provides that a person who wishes to run as a Senator in Massachusetts must reside within the state during the election."

"So, after I win, I can now move to another state, is that what you're saying?"

"N-no. I-"

"What's it going to be?! You're confusing me." July exclaims with a hard glare. _No, you're confusing me!_ I feel my blood boiling in anger.

"Well, if common sense suggests, you can only occupy and live in one state at any given time, even at the time of the election. In this regard, you must live within the state in which you're running for. Section 3 provides that it should be where you spend most of your time as a resident. And in this case, it can only be either one of them." I reply back, out of frustration and a bit of anger. I hear some gasps around me and when I glance at Quinn, I see her giving me a look which made me regret what just came out of my mouth.

July gives me a death glare that's seriously scaring me right now. "Common sense, huh? Do you think you have common sense, Blondie?"

I cower under her glare and I'm unable to reply.

July stands up and walks towards the board behind her to draw what seems like a small dot on it then looks back at me. "Can you see that, Pierce?"

I hesitantly nod.

"That's your brain." July scoffs. "And your chance of passing this subject, as well as my tolerance for stupid and unprepared students like you."

I feel a sharp pain in my chest which is not at all physical. It must have brought me back to high school for a moment there. "I-"

"What? You think I'm picking on you? That I'm being unfair? Well, guess what, sweetie? Life is freaking unfair!" July screams. "You think you're so brave coming to class without even studying? Then you're badly mistaken."

"I-I did study, ma'am. I-"

"Well, clearly it's not enough! You didn't study hard enough because if you did, you would be able to answer such a simple question."

I feel like my chest is on the verge of bursting.

"Get out."

Shit.

"M-Miss July?"

"I said, get the fucking out of my class and don't come back until you're fucking prepared!"

I take a really deep breath and realize that this is all real. I hastily moved and grab all my stuff and can't help but feel that everyone's eyes are on me right now. I take a quick glance at Quinn who's looking apologetically at me.

I leave the class in a hurry and hung my head low as I briskly walk out of the building and towards where I parked my bike. I pedal as hard as I can and as fast as I could out of Harvard. I park my bike in our complex and run towards the apartment carrying all my heavy stuff that feels so weightless right now compared to what I'm feeling. _So, this is what happens when you don't study well enough. I have nobody to blame but myself. Now, I know._

I open the door to our apartment to see that Rachel isn't at home. So, I enter my room, throw my stuff on the study table nearby, and lie on my bed.

Tears instantly came out of my eyes as I cried myself to sleep.

* * *

I woke up still feeling like crap.

I look at my alarm clock to see that it's 7pm, already. I didn't even flinch when I realized that I won't be able to make it to tonight's Dalton meeting. I lie down again for a moment and sigh deeply. I've never felt this bad. I'm usually the one who tops the exams and passes the courses with flying colors ever since uni. This is the first time I've been humiliated in class and it sucks big time.

I search for my phone and see a couple of messages from my friends then a few missed calls from Quinn and Santana. I don't have the energy to open everything so I just go through the first two messages.

**From Quinn Fabray:** _Hey Britt, Rachel told me that you're home. I hope you're okay there. Don't worry about the Dalton meeting, I'll take care of it._

I sigh, thankful that Quinn spotted for me. I open the next message, this one from Santana.

**From Sanny:** _Hey baby, where are you? I've been trying to call you but you're not picking up. Berry told me that you're at home but looks like you'll be leaving again soon for that Dalton meeting. Call me when you're free, okay?_

So, Quinn didn't tell her about class awhile ago. I'm relieved because the last thing I want is Santana feeling sorry for me right now. I remind myself to thank Quinn personally when I get a hold of her later.

I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. I'm not gonna fall asleep anytime soon again and I'm a little hungry too, so I get up and go to the bathroom to freshen up first. I look around to see Rachel's books on the coffee table indicating that she's around.

I settle on a simple white shirt and jeans after taking a shower and drying my hair. I grab my Princeton hoodie from my cabinet as well. Upon opening the door of my room, I was greeted by the aroma of Chinese food and see Rachel setting them on the coffee table by the living room where her books were situated a while ago.

"Hey, I heard shuffling from your bedroom so I bought dinner." Rachel mutters.

I nod. "Thanks, Rach." I grab two bottles of water from the fridge and settle on the sofa with her. She hands me my food and we ate in silence for a while.

"So, I heard you crying awhile ago.." Rachel trails off while biting her lip.

I glance up at her for a second. "I didn't know you were home. Sorry."

"I didn't mean it that way, Britt." Rachel muttered shyly. "D-Do you wanna talk about it?"

I contemplated this for a moment. Rachel knows me well but it's still sweet to think that she tried. I shake my head. "Just had a bad day in class."

She seemed to accept it and let me be. We finished our food before she spoke again. "Are you sure you're going to the party?"

I shrug. "Yeah, why not?"

"Okay. I'll just freshen up and change then let's go together?"

I nod and she proceeds to do her thing. I decide to call Santana while waiting for Rachel to finish. She picked up after two rings.

"Britt?"

"Hey, San. Where are you?"

"I'm in Langdell with Cedes and Tina. Where are you? I haven't seen you since yesterday."

"I'm at home with Rachel. I immediately went back after class and took a nap." I lie as I play with the hem of my shirt.

There was a sudden silence on the other line. "Is everything all right? Are you okay? I'll go there right now."

"No, sweetie. I'm okay. Just a headache. I'm waiting for Rachel to get ready then we'll go back to campus for the party."

"Are you sure? It must be serious if you skipped the meeting. I can go there, stay at home if you don't feel well."

"I'm okay now, San. We'll just meet you at the party, all right?" I sigh and feel bad for lying but I really don't feel like talking about it right now.

"If you say so. Take care, all right? I love you."

"I love you too. See you in a little while."

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

"Oh girl, you're so freaking whipped!" Cedes exclaims and Tina laughs with her.

I roll my eyes at them as I place my phone on the table after hanging up. "Yeah, yeah. Don't let me catch the both of you getting all sappy because I won't let either of you bitches live it down."

"Aww.. Santana's going all soft on us. I feel like treating you to a drink in Starbucks." Tina glances at Cedes with a smirk.

"With extra whipped cream fo' yo' ass!" They say in unison as they laugh out loud while I just shake my head at how corny these two are.

I wonder just how true Brittany's words were a while ago. I know there's something wrong. The usual chirpy tone she has wasn't there a while ago and her voice sounded hoarse. Maybe something happened in her class with July? Or she's really not feeling well?

Tina and Cedes proceed to banter some more until Quinn, who looks tired, arrives at our table.

"Ooh.. Tough day?" Tina mutters.

"Extremely." Quinn sighs as she takes a seat.

"Crazy July, huh?"

"Oh yeah. I haven't slept for almost two days of studying for her class and I still wasn't able to finish all the readings. I only slipped on a few details and almost botched my whole recitation."

"Hot damn, girl." Cedes exclaims.

"How did Britt do?" I chime in. If something happened to her in class, then it must be the reason why she sounded like that awhile ago.

Quinn only gave me a look and that was enough for me to know that something happened back at their class. Tina and Cedes looked clueless at our silent exchange. I proceed to fix my stuff.

"Let's go and meet the others. I need to see Brittany."

* * *

We arrive at the party to see that it's already in full swing. Upon entering through the front door, we were immediately handed out tequila shots and a plastic cup with some sketchy strong alcohol in it.

It was only when we got to the pool area that we saw the others waving at us then proceed to approach them.

"Waddup, bitches? We're gonna get drunk tonight!" Kurt exclaims and the others scream in anticipation. I look beside Mike and see Brittany wearing her Princeton hoodie. Our eyes meet and she smiles at me as I approach her.

"Hey." I say.

"Hey, San."

"Are you okay?"

Brittany looks down. "I'm fine. Just had a bad day."

"Does this have anything to do with Cassie July?"

Brittany hesitated at first. She eventually nods slowly then pouts. "I wasn't prepared for class. I didn't study enough, San. She threw me out of class."

I look at her eyes closely and notice that they're kind of puffy. I want to give her the tightest hug I can and shower her with compliments but I know Brittany. The last thing she wants right now is for me to pity her.

"Then you should. You'll get back at her, I know it." I mutter as I come closer towards her.

"That's easy for you to say."

"Hey," I hold her chin up and gaze directly into her eyes. "The term just started and you're giving up already? That's what she wants, you know. If you surrender now, then she'll win."

"Cassie is in a whole other level. I can't possibly go against that."

"Yeah, you can't. So, you should instead aim to prove her wrong when it comes to your abilities because all she knows about you right now if what she's seen so far. Show her that you're more than that."

Brittany seemed to contemplate what I said for a moment then smiled after a while.

"There's my beautiful girlfriend right there." We both chuckle. "Don't give up on yourself, okay baby?"

Brittany nods. "I'm sorry I lied and didn't tell you about it. I didn't really feel like talking awhile ago."

I smile and kiss her tenderly because no words need to be said at all. I drag her into the dance floor and we danced like we own the place.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

I'm not drunk but I can't remember how many shots I took already. I can say the same for everyone except for Mike, who's the designated driver again. Aside from him, Santana isn't the least bit fazed by the alcohol even if she must have drank a lot more than most of us combined. After dancing with her, I went over to Quinn and Rachel and gave both girls a tight hug which surprised them. I thanked them for what they did for me a while ago and they replied by hugging me in return. Actually, the whole gang joined in. Weirdly sweet.

After dancing for a while with Mike, we decided to take a break and retreat to where our friends are sans Santana. I look around for the brunette and see her talking with two upperclassmen girls a few feet away from us.

I take a good look and see that they're both laughing at what Santana just said. I feel an uneasy feeling settle in my stomach when one of the girls laid a hand on Santana's shoulder while the latter looks completely clueless about the whole thing. So, I approach where the bitches are. _Yes, 'bitches'._

As soon as I reach them, I snake my arms around Santana's waist which made the girls' smile disappear instantly.

"Hey baby!" Santana exclaims happily upon seeing me. She faces the girls again and motion towards me. "This is Brittany, my girlfriend."

They turn their attention to me and I glare and raise an eyebrow at the girl who laid a hand on Santana which made her cower a little. And just like that, they both say goodbye instantly and get out of our faces in a hurry.

"You know for someone who used to get around a lot, you're oblivious when someone clearly wants to get in your pants." I semi-glare and purse my lips at her while I cross my arms.

"Who? Them? Nah, I doubt it. They were just asking about some stuff in an elective we're sharing."

"Uh-huh. Sure." I roll my eyes at her and she replies by laughing.

"You know, you're worse at this jealous game than me." Santana smirks and hugs me.

"So, you're finally admitting that you were jealous of Laura the other day?"

"Not really." Santana chuckles. "You're unbelievably cute when you are though."

"I'm not jealous!"

"Yeah, let's go with that." She laughs some more and gives me a quick kiss on the cheeks. "I'll go get us some drinks. You want one?"

I shake my head. "Don't wander too much, Lopez!" I exclaim and Santana smirks and winks at me as she disappeared in the crowd.

* * *

I'm minding my own business while waiting for Santana to come back. Just watching my friends, who are a few feet away from me, laughing like crazy at Rachel who's twerking. I laugh at the scene before me when I suddenly hear a voice.

"Hey, Brittany!" Laura exclaims.

"Hi, Laura. What's up?" I turn to face her and smile.

"Just checking up on you after what happened in class a while ago. You okay?"

I do a forced smile and wave my hand in disregard. "You don't have to. I'm fine but thank you for asking."

"Well, if you ever need a study partner, I'm always available for you, you know." The redhead smirks at me and I suddenly feel uneasy. She reeks of alcohol, too.

"Yeah, I don't mean to be rude but I'm not really interested and my girlfriend wouldn't appreciate that."

"Who? Lopez? The only reason why she's here is because of her mother! I mean, who turns down the Dalton?" She scoffs.

"Hey, that's rude! Don't talk about her like that!" I feel my blood boiling once again.

"Come on, Britt. We both know that we'd make a better couple." Laura smirks and proceeds to invade my personal space but Quinn inserts herself between us before the girl gets to do so.

"Blonde and Red doesn't really match, you know. Just like your outfit." Quinn mutters with a smirk before glancing hard at her from head to toe.

And like a scene straight from the movie, Santana appears out of nowhere holding a red paper cup and smirking like a mob boss. "I think French Fries and Ketchup together is more appetizing. Don't you think so, Q?"

The whole gang stops laughing and they turn to see what's happening.

"Aren't you such cowards, the both of you picking on me." The girl turns to face the brunette and exclaims a little too loud for the others to hear on purpose as she crosses her arms.

"Oh, no. It's actually only me." Santana mutters then gives us a look which could only be interpreted that we should get out of the way. We all do so.

"What? You think you're better than me? I'm a Castle and you're just some regular girl anyone can pick up!" The people close to us are now aware of the commotion she's causing.

Santana chuckles before taking a step closer towards her. "You know, I think you have that all confused." She pauses for effect. "I'm a Lopez, bitch. And you're just a girl who got lucky of inheriting a family name you don't even deserve. You came from what? The Addams family of lawyers, right?" Santana takes a sip from her drink before continuing.

"Well, I'm the only Lopez there is, you see. And the way I see it, it's actually you who's just some regular girl anyone can pick up because you're so damn generic that there's many of you to boot in your family." She adds and we hear a collective gasp from those close enough to hear what she said.

Laura looks so furious right now. And just as Santana was about to take another sip from her cup, the redhead slaps it out of her hand.

"Come on, that was the last Scotch and Soda they had!" The brunette exclaims.

"I'm not the bad guy here! For all I know, you're only after Brittany for her family's billions. What? Is the poverty getting worse in Mexico? Because you're clearly climbing a border here, chica." Laura whispers in Santana's face with a smirk.

Santana blinks a few times before laughing out loud. We all turn to each other, wondering what's funny.

"Ooh.. You think that's genius, huh? One, I'm from New York, born and raised. And I'm Hispanic, actually. Two, I really don't care about the Pierces' fortune but clearly you do, so maybe you're the one after that since you thought of it. I mean, what are you even doing here in Harvard when your Castle ass is supposed to be in Yale?"

"Three, I'm richer than you. My trust fund alone is what your whole family must be worth or makes in five years or so. And four, you're starting to piss me off because you wasted a perfectly fine drink which in turn, is starting to make me feel cranky. So, why don't you take your ass out of here before Aunty Snixx arrives riding in the Bitchtown Express to shut your lights out, Carrot Top?"

Silence. I look around to see that everyone has their mouths open from shock or amazement.

"You see, this is Harvard. You're in my turf now." Santana leans towards Laura's side, I think I even saw her flinch a little. "Talk to Brittany or any of my friends again and I will make sure that you're in the first flight back to New Haven inside a suitcase." The brunette whispers and takes a step back.

Laura stares hard at Santana but suddenly becomes aware that everyone's attention is on her. The redhead cowers and decides to leave instead. Upon retreating, everyone around us claps and cheers for Santana, which the latter replies to by doing a dramatic curtsy.

After the commotion has died down, the party resumes again with drinks being handed down from everywhere. I search for Santana and see that she's approaching me with lustful eyes. When she got close enough, I feel lips suddenly pressing on mine.

"You are so on fire, right now." I say mischievously when we broke apart and Santana replied only with a smirk. I close the gap again and kiss her deeper this time.

* * *

**I say that Laura deserved that. Santana FTW!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Kind of a filler chapter.**

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

"You did what?!" Mami exclaims in front of us and we instantly cower in fear of her wrath.

Quinn, Britt, and I are all sitting by the kitchen counter while Mami volunteered to cook us some after-class snack when suddenly, Quinn slipped about the incident back at the Delta Gamma party two days ago.

"She was just trying to protect me from the girl, Maribel." Brittany mutters lowly.

"Yeah, a 5'4 girl is incredibly dangerous." I exclaim and both blondes glare at me.

"That is not the point here, girls. No one should have retaliated."

"Santana didn't lay a hand on her, at all." Quinn chimes in.

"Nope, just scarred her with embarrassment from ever showing her face in campus again for the rest of her life." This time, I got slapped in the arm by Fabgay.

"What you did is far worse. Words leave emotional scars."

"But she hurt me too!" I exclaim and they all turn to glance at me. "Well, no, not really. But I doubt she'd remember that, she reeked of alcohol." I say.

"You should be thankful that she didn't report you to the Dean, Mija."

"Mami, she started it. A lot of people would vouch for me on that. Plus, I'm sure that she won't, she'd just save herself from further embarrassment."

Mami sighs. "And this girl that you're saying is a member of the Castle family?"

We all nod in unison and braced ourselves for the incoming onslaught of another sermon but nothing came. Instead, Mami chuckles.

"I never really liked those pretentious, pompous, ginger bastards anyway." Mother rolls her eyes. "Tell me everything from the top and spare no details." She smirks and we all do too. We proceed to amuse her and give her every detail of what happened while we all munch on some special Lopez enchiladas.

* * *

It's a Tuesday night and since everyone doesn't have class tomorrow and school's closed for some apparent reason on Thursday, we all decide to stay at my living room and enjoy a quiet night in with some pizza, beer, and wine.

"So, what's new? Anyone got pregnant or anything?" I say as I take a swig of my beer.

"I think that's highly unlikely. I mean, five out of eight of us are gay, Santana." Berry mutters.

"We'll never know. Maybe the Asians have a bun in the oven or Cedes finally got a guy."

"Well, Mike and I talked about that and we agreed to finish school first, get married, find a nice job, then we'll see how it goes." Tina chimes in and looks at Mike who just nods.

"Hey Gangnam Style, I wasn't serious about the pregnancy crap. And your plan sounds too Asian for me." I tease and Tina rolls her eyes at me.

I turn my attention to Mercedes. "How about you, Jones? What's up?"

"Well, I have a few upcoming projects right now." Mercedes utters.

"Ooh.. Like what?" Tina asks.

"I recently did a demo and some producer heard it and asked me to do back-up vocals for Jessie J's new album this summer. So yeah, I hope that everything works out." Mercedes says proudly.

"No way! That's amazing, Cedes!" Kurt exclaims.

"Yeah, don't forget us when you sell out Madison Square Garden!" Mike chimes in.

"Maybe we can all perform together. We'll be called 'Cedes and the Legal Homosexuals &amp; Straight Asians'." Rachel exclaims with a grin and we all groan.

"Aww.. I missed you guys! It's the first time we all got together alone this Spring Term." Tina cries out.

"Don't get all sentimental on us, Yangchow." I say.

"Come on, Satan. Admit it, you totally love us!" Kurt mutters and they all egg me on until I finally had enough.

"Yeah, yeah! You guys are pretty dope. Even Berry."

"I know that you've grown fond of me since the time you agreed to watch Mamma Mia for the third time without any hesitation. That was a true breakthrough of friendship, Santana." Rachel exclaims dramatically and I playfully roll my eyes at her and we all laugh.

The front door opens and we turn to see Quinn and Brittany coming back from their Dalton meeting.

"Hey guys! What did we miss?" Quinn exclaims as she and Brittany place some newly bought chips and booze on the kitchen counter.

"Just Berry about to molest me." I exclaim and look at the brunette and see her raising an eyebrow at me.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, baby. You're not Rachel's type to start with." Brittany mutters as she gives me a quick kiss on the head. Berry smirks at me and they all laugh again.

"I'll be right back." Brittany adds with a wink aimed at me then goes towards the hall on the way to my room and presumably change her clothes.

"How was the meeting?" Kurt asks Quinn who's sitting beside Berry.

"The usual. We had the Dean over tonight to discuss some stuff about Animal Law and that was about it. We're having Mr. Tanaka next week for some discussion about Criminal Procedure."

"Oh, that takes me back to our first term when he was trying to be scary." Mercedes mutters.

"Yeah, he's actually a sweet guy beneath the scary vibe he was giving. Who knew?" Kurt quips and we all agree.

_**Ding-dong**_

We all curiously look at one another. "Did we order another pizza?" I say.

"I don't remember, did we?" Mike raises an eyebrow.

"Maybe Mr. Heineken here is taking its toll on you, guys." Quinn mutters and stands up to walk towards her room. "Can somebody please open the door and find out?"

"I'll get it!" Brittany walks into the living room after changing into some comfy clothes then opens the front door as we continue our conversation. We waited for a few seconds to see who it is but still nothing from Brittany.

"Hey, Britt? Who's at the door?" I exclaim.

Silence.

Quinn comes back after changing and stops in her tracks upon looking at something. Her calm demeanor instantly turns to that of anger.

"You." Quinn exclaims which caught all our attention.

I stand up and walk over towards Quinn to see what's the commotion about. When I caught sight of a familiar redhead at the front door, my blood instantly reached its boiling point.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

"Stop the violence!" I exclaim when I managed to stop Santana and Quinn just in time when they came charging towards Laura. All our friends stood up to see what's happening.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Quinn shouts angrily.

Laura cowers in fear and stares at the floor. "I-I just came to apologize."

"How the fuck did you even know where we live?" Santana screams.

"I f-followed them after the meeting."

"So, now you're not only a troublemaker but also a fucking stalker." The brunette scoffs. "You've got a lot of nerve coming here, Lady Matchstick!"

"Look, I didn't come here to cause trouble, alright? I came here to talk, so could you maybe let me in?"

Quinn and Santana glared at her for a moment until the blonde spoke. "You have one minute."

"What? No! You are not welcome here! You're already ruining our perfectly good night as it is." Santana sneers at the girl.

"Well, I don't want our next door neighbor to complain about us. So, I say we let her in for just a minute." The blonde tells Santana. The latter seemed to contemplate it for a moment before she hesitantly agreed to let the ginger in.

I shut the door behind her and everyone's attention is locked down on the girl. "This is quite a nice place. Very posh." Laura says as she looks around her.

"Cut the bullshit. 50 seconds." Quinn scoffs and crosses her arms.

"Alright, alright! Jeez.." Laura sighs. "I came here to apologize about the other night. I was extremely drunk that time and I don't know what came over me."

"Oh, I know what came over you, you spawn of the fucking devil." Santana hisses.

"Hey, I made a fool out of myself already, okay? I apologize for all the bad things I told you." Laura then turns to look at me. "I'm sorry for making a move on you."

"You're only sorry you got rejected, asshole." San adds angrily.

The redhead glares at Santana. "That's all I came here for, alright? I don't want to cause anymore trouble. I apologize for what I did and if it's not too much to ask, maybe we could all start over and be friends."

My eyebrows raised in surprise. I look at the others and see that they almost have the same expression and are looking at her in disbelief.

"You want to be friends after what happened?" I say.

"Yeah, why not?" Laura turns to look at me and smirks.

"Look, I don't believe in miracles. So, why don't you just go now before I decide to act on my promise last time?" Santana scoffs.

"Come on, we just started on the wrong foot. Let me make it up to you, guys."

"The only thing that's gonna be happening is me shoving the wrong foot down your throat, if you don't leave! Now, go before I call security!"

Laura raises her hands up in surrender. "Okay! I'm going!" She smirks which only irked Santana more.

"I'll be nice from now on and this won't be the last time you'll from hear me. I really hope we all become friends." The redhead adds but I can't help but notice that the last part was only directed at me.

"Adios, mi amigos!" Laura exclaims as she leaves the apartment with a smirk.

Unbelievable.

Everyone was left staring at one another, trying to digest what just happened.

"I can't help but feel that there's something sketchy about her." Quinn mutters.

"Her face is sketchy. It literally translates as 'I'm up to something no fucking good'." Santana replies.

"Hey, guys!" Rachel calls out from the kitchen and we turn to face her and see that she's holding two bottles of tequila with a grin. "I know we decided on a chill night but at the sudden turn of events, I think it calls for these." She holds up the bottles in emphasis.

It was silent for a minute before we all reacted.

"I second to that." Tina mutters.

"Me too. Give me the damn bottle, Berry!" Mercedes exclaims and we all laugh as we huddled again in the living room trying to move on from what happened.

* * *

It's been a month since Laura apologized and she was true to her words about trying to be friends with us and being nice. Actually, too nice.

There were times that she would approach us for no apparent reason and engage in small talk. Sometimes we reply just to be civil but no matter what she does, Santana never acknowledges her presence and their only interaction is her brushing Laura off with an eye roll. It's safe to say that no one's warming up to her anytime soon.

I can't help but notice that she's extra attentive and nice to me though. Like when I ran into her while I was studying in Adam's. I came back from talking on the phone with Santana to see a coffee with a note stuck on it saying "Study well!" lying on my table. I looked around just in time to see Laura smiling and waving at me as she exited the shop. I didn't drink it, for fear that maybe it had poison or something. Or maybe I've been watching too many movies.

There were also little things. Like, her opening the door for me whenever she can or volunteering to take me home even if she knows Santana's around or I have my bike with me. I eventually confronted her that the act needs to stop and again, that I'm not interested, even as her friend after what happened. What's weird was, Laura accepted it with no hard feelings and stopped just like I asked her to. She's mysterious, alright. The others prefer to call her sketchy though. But knowing myself, I tend to give other people a chance and try to see the good in them. So, we'll see how it goes with Laura.

"Alright, Miss Lopez. So, who controls the federal executive departments in the federal government? Is it a) the executive branch, b) judicial branch, or c) legislative branch?"

Santana seemed to think it over for a moment before smirking. "Can I buy a vowel?"

We all laugh hysterically and so did Miss Wright who shakes her head in slight amusement and disbelief. "Just kidding. Sorry, Miss Wright." Santana mutters and goes on to correctly answer the teacher's question and discuss the matter with ease and confidence when she was asked to do so.

We decide to head over to my place after class so I can freshen up before the Dalton meeting. I enter my room wearing only a towel after showering to see Santana talking with someone on the phone looking conflicted.

"I see.. Yeah, I'll be good.. Alright, I'll talk to you later." She hangs up the phone and I turn to face her.

"What's wrong, San?"

"It's our ConLaw professor, Mrs. Oldie. The one who falls asleep every now and then while teaching? Kurt called to say that she had an accident this morning and is in the hospital."

"Oh no, is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah, it wasn't serious and she's stable now. Apparently, her dentures fell on the sidewalk and just as she was about to pick it up, a bike hit her." Santana tells me and I know I shouldn't think it's funny but at the back of my head, I'm kinda giggling.

"She won't be able to come to class for a month. We're still not sure if someone's taking over our class or wait until she gets better. It's kind of a shame, the class was fond of her." Santana adds sadly.

"At least she's stable now. Don't feel sad, baby." I lift the brunette's chin and give her a kiss then slowly move towards her neck.

"Y-Yeah, I guess there's nothing to worry about anymore."

I throw my towel to the floor and proceed to lick and suck on her neck as I unbutton her blouse. I hear a slight moan from her when I hit a sensitive spot near her collarbone.

"None at all." I say seductively as I throw her back on the bed and have my way with her.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

I'm on my way home from school after a particularly exhausting day. From a confusing discussion in Admin Law, the extremely grueling topic of Hearsay that we're not even close to understanding in Evidence, and a make up meeting of my reading group. Luckily, our ConLaw class is still on hold since our professor wants to finish the course by herself, so that means I won't have a Wednesday and Thursday class until two or three weeks after Spring Break. I'm just so freaking tired that I had to close my eyes first and take a breather in my car for a few minutes before I pulled out of the parking lot.

Brittany's probably home right now since her Dalton meeting ended half an hour ago. She's been kinda busy lately with all that's going on and also putting extra effort in studying for her ConLaw class. We try to do some alone time every now and then but lately, it's been hard to get her off studying or even make her take a break. I think she's even losing a bit of weight which worries me a little.

Thankfully, it's the start of Spring Break next week. Kurt organized for everyone to spend it together somewhere out of town. As if, spending almost everyday with each other isn't enough. Anyway, we agreed that we'd spend it at The Hamptons in my house, so that's something to look forward to. A week without any books, cases, and Sharpies hanging around. I'm so excited for it, I can cry.

I try to call Brittany as I climb the stairs to my apartment but it only went straight to voicemail. Maybe, she's sleeping or studying. Or both. I sigh and enter the apartment to see Quinn watching television.

"Hey, S!" Quinn cries out from the couch.

I nod at her and drink some water first before joining her in the living room.

"This is new. Why aren't you studying?" I say.

"July's at New York for business until Friday. Dalton cancelled the next meeting too. So, we're kinda on vacation already."

"That's cool. So, everyone's done for the week?"

"Yeah. Did they tell you we're leaving tomorrow afternoon? Mike and Mercedes just have to finish something in their reading group tomorrow morning then we're good to go after that." Quinn mutters.

"Kurt might have mentioned it. I think he did." I try to remember. "Yeah, he did."

Quinn chuckles. "Tiring day?"

I sigh deeply. "Yeah. My head hurts like a bitch. Maybe I just need some sleep."

Quinn nods and we settle in a comfortable silence while watching The Voice. It was only after a moment that I realize she's staring at me and biting her lip looking all nervous. I turn to face her and squint my eyes.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" I say. "Is this the moment when you're finally going to tell me that you've been in love with me for the past decade?"

Quinn nervously laughs. "No, S. Get over yourself, seriously."

"Then what is it? Something's up, I can feel it."

She turns to face me with her whole body and takes a deep breath before speaking.

"Santana.. Rachel and I.." Quinn trails off.

"What, Q? Did something happen? Did you break up? Oh no.." I say with wide eyes.

"What? No! W-we're.. We've decided to move in together."

Silence.

I blink a couple of times and try to process the information first. Quinn. My best friend for almost 20 years already, is moving in with her girlfriend, Rachel Berry after only a little over a year of dating. My best friend is moving out of our apartment. This. Is. Fucking. Huge.

"S? Please say something." Quinn mutters shyly as she stares at me, looking all worried.

I try to come up with something to say. Just anything.

"Does Britt know?"

"Probably. Rachel and I agreed to tell you both tonight. She might be telling her now as we speak."

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My bestfriend whom I've lived with for almost a decade already is moving in with her girlfriend. I close my eyes and try to calm down. I feel like I'm having a panic attack! Or maybe it's the stress or I'm just exhausted. When I couldn't take it anymore, I suddenly stand up and glare at Quinn.

"No."

"No?" Quinn mutters looking hurt. "What do you mean?"

"This is fucking crazy, Q! You can't move in with her! You've only been dating for a while!"

"S, Rachel and I already agreed. We've been apartment hunting for the past few weeks and we found a perfect one that's halfway to both our apartments. We'll live close enough that you won't even notice we're gone."

"This is unbelievable! You can't do this!"

"Look, S. We almost spend all our time in each other's place anyway. We practically live together with them by now." Quinn stands up and looks at me with pleading eyes.

"And you only tell me about this now?!"

"We've all been busy. We wanted to tell you both about it weeks ago but it wasn't the right time."

"But this is different! You're moving in with her. You're not coming home to leave your books on the dining table or bother me with your corny jokes or cook me that awesome bacon breakfast when you know I'm stressed or cranky in the morning." I ramble on and turn to face her.

"You're leaving me, Quinn." I add and Quinn looks like she's about to cry. I feel a sharp pain in my chest that's making it hard for me to breathe.

"Santana, I-I'm sorry but it's already done. We're moving out after we come back from Spring Break." Quinn mutters so softly that I barely hear her say anything.

I stare at her, hard. She glances at me but almost instantly looks back at the floor. I take a really deep breath and prevent myself from saying anything stupid that would hurt her feelings even more.

"I-I can't deal with this right now." I say as I grab my stuff and head for the door. I look back at her one last time and see that she's as hurt as I am. I closed the door behind me and called Britt, who luckily picked up, to tell her that I'm staying over for the night.

I drove away from our apartment. Or at least that's what it was called until tonight.

* * *

When I arrive at Britt's place, Rachel wasn't there anymore. Brittany told me that Rachel hesitated in telling her as well and when she finally did, there were tears and hugs. Britt told her that she's happy for the both of them because she can see that they're made for each other. I guess it's the exact opposite of what happened with Quinn and I last night. I told her about some of the events that transpired and she listened intently until I finished. She didn't judge me. I guess she knew where I was coming from because she feels the same way about Rachel.

When morning came, I realized that I kinda overreacted about everything. That I was selfish about some stuff. I've never seen Quinn this happy before with someone. It was actually shocking to see her laugh and be carefree like that ever since Rachel came into her life. Brittany encouraged me to talk to Quinn back at the apartment and I agreed.

Upon entering my place, I was faced with the familiar aroma of Quinn's special bacon plate. They immediately see us and we were greeted with an awkward silence at first before Quinn told us to join them for breakfast. It was only after we finished eating that we got to talking.

"So.." Quinn trails off.

"I'm sorry for last night. I was out of line." I mutter shyly and my best friend looks at me in surprise.

"You're apologizing to me?"

I shrug. "Yeah?"

She takes a deep breath and looks at Rachel who nods. "Britt, wanna help me pack a few stuff?" Brittany immediately picks up on it and they proceed to walk towards Quinn's room.

It was only when they entered the room that Quinn continued to speak.

"I understood where you were coming from, S. But please don't think that I'm abandoning you." The blonde adds.

I sigh and look down. "I'm sorry I walked out on you last night. I was hoping that maybe if I hold off with the talking, then you won't move out yet or that it's not real."

"It is real, Santana." Quinn takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry if I chose to tell you just the other night."

"I guess that's the point. Maybe you should have told me earlier."

"I told you my reasons. I know that you'd be against it or worse, you'll hate on Rachel. For the record, I asked her to move in with me."

"But I'm your bestfriend, Q." I exclaim. "Bestfriends are supposed to be the first ones to know about every little thing that happens in the other's life. Every single embarrassing detail. If you told me earlier though, my reaction would still be the same."

Quinn looks at me and sighs.

"But I'd relent anyway. I would have come with you to look at apartments, buy new stuff from Bed Bath and Beyond, or a load of awful furniture from IKEA. All the crap that a bestfriend is supposed to do." I pause. "Because no matter how many fights we've been in and the numerous times I felt like killing you out of anger, heck, we even got through puberty together, I still love you, Q. You're my sister." I tell her with a slight smile.

"Yeah, I feel like strangling Berry because she's taking you away from me but if you're happy with her, which I can see that you are, then I'm happy for you too. I think I'm just afraid that you'll move on with your life and forget about me sooner or later." I add.

"Are you kidding me? That's the most ridiculous thing that has ever come out of your mouth. And there's many to choose from." Quinn jokes and I slap her arm.

"Whatever, Q. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'll miss you." I tell her with a smile. "But don't ever tell anyone I said any of this because I will deny everything to my grave."

Quinn smiles and looks at me with glassy eyes. "I'll always be around you, S."

I scoot closer to her and put my arms around her. "I'm gonna miss those magical damn bacons and unbelievably corny jokes of yours."

Quinn chuckles. "I told Brittany the recipe."

My eyes widen and I look at her. "What? You've refused to tell me for the past decade then you're gonna do this to me? This is worse than you moving out!"

"She's your girlfriend, it's fine!"

"Brittany doesn't know how to cook! She's gonna set my kitchen on fire!"

Quinn and I talked some more. We decided that I'd buy her half of the apartment and all of us will help her move everything to their new place. After some debate, we agreed that she'd get to keep her key but don't tell her that I'm changing the locks after she moves out. Rachel came over a little after our conversation to hug me and assure me that she's not taking Quinn away from me. I do believe that, actually. And yeah, I hugged her back, as well.

And just like dorks, Quinn and I reminisced about almost our two decades of friendship together before we started packing for our Spring Break trip.

* * *

**Thoughts?**


	18. Chapter 18

**\- Santana POV -**

We arrived at the Hamptons later that night by plane after my talk with Quinn. Mami was cool enough to let us borrow the private jet and fly us over.

Shortly after, we arrive at our house and settle obvious room assignments. Brittany and I will be staying together in my bedroom. Quinn with Rachel in the blonde's self-assigned guestroom the first time she went here. Tina and Mike across the hall from us while Kurt and Mercedes each have their own bedrooms.

Our nights involved us getting wasted and hitting up the best parties in town while our days were spent exploring some beaches and some random gatherings.

Speaking of beaches, have I told you that Brittany in a bikini is perfection? Seriously. The first time I saw her wearing one, I almost had a heart attack. I mean, I look pretty damn good in my bikini too but when she removed her white robe the first time we went to the beach, I pretty much came right there and then. Her smirk didn't help either. Let's just say that we disappeared every now and then that day. _Nudge, nudge._

It's pretty awesome that we finally get to rest and not think about school for once. I'm overjoyed that I finally got to spend some alone time with Brittany. If it were up to me, I wouldn't want us to leave my bedroom at all. I'd be perfectly content with just staying in bed all day.

A few days in and we all decide to spend a day alone to ourselves to do our own bidding. Brittany and I went shopping, chatting up about anything under the sun over coffee, watched a movie only to end up making out in the cinema throughout the whole thing, and finally, dining out in style. I pushed it a little more by surprising her with a night's stay in Four Seasons. Might as well enjoy and make the most of our time together, right?

We're basking in the glow of mind-blowing sex when we had 'the talk'.

"Both our places are surely gonna look a little empty now, don't you think?" I say as I brush Brittany's hair while her head's resting just above my chest.

"It's gonna feel bigger for sure."

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll have to buy some new stuff to fill in the spaces where her stuff once was." I say. I turn to look at Brittany who only hums in response. I bite my lip, remembering Quinn's words the other day.

"Hey, Britt?" She hums once again. "You don't think we'd need to move in together right away like they did, right?" I mutter a little nervously. Brittany tilts her head to look at me.

"Not really. Why, are you thinking about it?" She tells me innocently with a smile.

"A bit. I mean, we really do practically live together with how much we spend in each other's place."

Brittany fixes her body so that she's on top of me now. "That's true, baby. But do you want to do it now?"

I think about it for a moment before looking back at Brittany who's patiently waiting for my answer. "Honestly, not right now. We have a lot on our plate and everything's kinda hellish." I reply. "I-Is that okay?"

Brittany rests her chin above my chest, still looking at me and chuckles. "San, let's not pressure ourselves, alright? Just because our best friends decided to live together doesn't mean that we have to do it immediately." She says. "Let's just take it one step at a time. If the time comes that we'd want to move in together, so be it. Let's enjoy living alone for a while. No pressure."

This is one of the reasons I love this woman. She totally gets me. I didn't have to say it outright but she understands me.

I stare at those goddamn beautiful blue eyes and nod. "You're such a genius, Britt." I say and pull her close for a kiss.

Brittany suddenly removes the covers and starts to attack me with kisses and slowly move down to my neck. She then proceeds to suck on my breasts and flicks her tongue around my nipple.

"F-fuck.." I moan in pleasure as she touches me and does a circling motion where I needed it the most. I replied by touching her breasts and playing with those nipples.

"Mmm.. That feels good, San." Brittany moans while I quiver in her touch.

She then pushes me and motions me to rest my back against the bed as she starts to travel down under the covers with trailing kisses from my lips, to my neck, breasts, and stops just below my stomach. It was only then that I realized where she was going with this.

"Come for me, baby." Brittany whispers seductively before she went down on and almost made me faint from extreme pleasure.

* * *

All good things must come to an end.

After a week of fun, we eventually had to go and head back to reality. It wasn't until a few days and helping Quinn and Rachel pack, that we were finally able to bring them to their new place. Quinn was true to her words when she said that it's halfway of Britt's apartment and mine. I could walk and be in their place within ten minutes. It has two bedrooms, a spacious kitchen, and a nice living room. It's a nice find, actually.

"I still think you have a chance to back out of this right now, Q. Quick, before she notices!" I tell Quinn jokingly.

"Knock it off, S." Quinn chuckles. "I think we're set here. It's finally official. Thanks for helping us with everything."

"Yeah, don't get emotional on me now."

"You wish!" Quinn winks at me then grins. "So, when are you and Britt moving in?"

I look at her in surprise. "What? What makes you think we are?"

"Well, I just assumed that you girls would be next, you know." She smirks at me.

"Well, we talked about it and decided that at the right time we would. Maybe sometime in the future."

"Future, huh? I never thought the day would come that Santana Lopez would say that word." Quinn quips and I slap her arm.

"Whatever, Q. And why are you saying this all of a sudden now? Aren't you supposed to tease me about this from the beginning?"

"What, I didn't want you steal my thunder, bitch." Quinn mutters and playfully rolls her eyes at me.

The front door opens as Brittany and Rachel comes in carrying two small boxes.

Suddenly, Berry bursts out crying like a baby and we all turn to look at her. Complete with holding a hand over her mouth and doing a fanning motion with the other. "Oh my gosh, this is all too real!"

Britt and I look at one another then chuckle at her. "Rach, we're still gonna see each other everyday." Britt mutters.

"I know. It's just.. I'm gonna miss having you around and you'll be alone in that apartment."

"I'll be fine there. Now come here and give me a hug!" Britt exclaims and they share a hug.

"Are you absolutely sure about this? We can still make a run for it." I tease Quinn who only rolls her eyes at me yet again.

"Nah, I'm fine here." She adds with a small smile. "The only thing left for us to do is hug it out." Quinn adds with a smirk and surprises me by hugging me tight which I eventually returned.

* * *

Two weeks have passed and I'm starting to develop a routine on my own after Quinn moved out.

Yeah, it took a while before I realized that the coffee maker won't turn on by itself or that no one would answer me if I shouted that I'm home upon entering my apartment. I mean, that would be creepy if someone did though. But yeah, it's my apartment now and I'm not looking for any roommates at the moment nor am I interested in getting one just yet. 'Yet' is a strong word.

Brittany and I had developed a little routine in each other's place too. We can fool around outside my room without fear that someone would walk in on us. Well, for the first few days, that is. If she was busy before Spring Break, she's a lot tougher to get a hold of now. We haven't gone on a date so far nor have we done some alone time with no books around. Sadly, there's no sex, as well. Dammit.

It's starting to frustrate me, actually. There are times that even if she's staying over at my place and she's literally in front of me, it's as she's not really there. I try to get her attention most of the time only to be rejected. Don't get me wrong, she's suffering from lack of time on my part as well. I even rejected her advances once when I had to finish a paper due for the next hour.

So, here I am, waiting for Brittany to come home from her class. Hoping for some much needed alone time with her.

"Hey baby!" I say as I see Brittany opening the door to her apartment from the couch.

Brittany looks at me, a little surprised. "Oh, hey sweetie. I didn't know you'd be here. I just dropped by to get a few notes that I forgot. Are you staying over?" She rambles on and gives me a quick kiss before walking over to her room and leaving the door open.

"Uhmm.. Yeah?" I say, confused by what's happening. "Britt, it's a Thursday. Where are you going and why are you in a hurry?"

"I have a group thing for the Dalton meeting tomorrow. I have to go over a few stuff with my group mates at Adam's. Laura and the others are there and-"

I instantly glare at Brittany. "Laura Fucking Castle?"

Brittany bites her lips and looks conflicted. "Y-yeah?"

"Why are you even with her and why didn't you tell me?" I say angrily.

"Baby, I didn't choose to, okay? We were randomly picked. And I didn't think it was a big deal."

"Yeah, right." I mutter sarcastically and cross my arms.

Brittany sighs deeply and holds me on both shoulders. "San, just please trust me on this. It's a school thing, nothing more."

"I just hate the fact that everybody gets to have you but me, you know? They get to have you more often than I do." I say while looking down.

She bites her lip then holds my chin and kisses me tenderly before looking me in the eyes with a small smile. "Let me make it up to you later when I get home. Maybe dinner and some cuddling?"

I sigh again and force my self to smile a little. "Yeah, I'd like that."

She grins and kisses me again as she pulls me closer. "I'll be back before you know it." Brittany picks up her stuff and races through the door while I'm left to myself again and settle on watching the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

* * *

I've been waiting for Brittany for a few hours already and she's still out on that goddamn group meeting. She texted a few times to apologize for the delay and they're just having a few difficulties with the presentation that's why she'll be running late. If I didn't know any better, Miss Poster Girl for Wendy's aka Laura Fucking Castle is the one behind this crap. Instead of getting more pissed at the situation, I decide to call Quinn. She picked up after a few rings.

"Have you called to beg me to come back to the apartment?"

"Tempting, but no." I say nonchalantly.

"Did you call to say you're finally moving in with Brittany?"

"What? No! I told you about that already."

"Then why the hell are you calling me when you know I'm studying, Satan?" Quinn says sounding irritated.

"Nothing." I say while biting my lip.

"Come on, S. I doubt you'd say that you're calling me because you miss me. So, what's wrong?"

"Can't I say that?" I jest.

"You can but you won't. Besides, I know that you won't admit that. So, spill before I decide to hang up on you."

I roll my eyes and sigh. "It's about Brittany."

"And what about her?"

"She's still at Adam's doing a group presentation with her group mates. And Chili Pepper is one of them."

I can practically feel Quinn's smirk on the other line. "Ah, so you're jealous!"

"W-what? Of course not! It's just, Britt's been incredibly busy lately and we're finding it hard to spend some time with each other."

"So, you're jealous of Castle and Brittany doesn't have time for you. I can see your problem now." Quinn mutters.

"I'm not jealous, okay? Britt and I are having problems like any other couple and that's it."

"Well, have you tried talking to Britt about it?"

"Not really. We can't seem to get the time, you know. We're both really busy with everything." I say, the sadness obvious in my voice.

"At least try. Brittany's been feeling the same, I can tell. She's sad. She doesn't even laugh at my jokes anymore."

"Your jokes aren't even funny to start with, Fabgay."

"Whatever, S. All I'm saying is that maybe you should talk some things over and I guess, a little patience goes a long way in this kind of career we're trying to pursue, you know?"

I sigh deeply. Quinn's right, as usual. "Yeah, I guess so." I say and my phone suddenly lights up to indicate that I have an incoming call from Brittany. "Listen, Q, I have to go. Brittany's calling me."

"Alright. Well, whenever you need a shrink, I'm here. I'll even pretend to be one, half the price." Quinn jokes.

"God, you're starting to sound like Berry. Bye, Dr. Phil!" I exclaim and hang up on Quinn. I sigh and immediately answer Brittany's call.

"Hey, baby. Are you done already?" I say excitedly, hoping that she is.

"Hey, babe. Almost. Half an hour less tops." She says and I smile a little. "Who are you talking to just before you answered my call?"

"Oh, just Quinn." I mutter.

"What did you girls talk about?"

"Just random stuff."

"Really? Like what?"

"We were just catching up, Britt."

"Are you sure it's Quinn?" Brittany snaps and her tone suddenly turns into a condescending one. We've been at this game for a few days already. I feel the irritation build up in me and I so badly want to snap at her in return but like what Quinn said, a little patience goes a long way.

"Babe, it's Quinn, okay? Calm down."

I hear her sigh from the other line and it took her a few seconds before she spoke again. "I'm sorry, San. I-I.. I'm sorry. I'm really tired and I just want to go home and spend some time with you right now. I really miss you." I hear her slightly sniffing from the other line which probably means that she's on the verge of crying.

Her words hit me like a hurricane. It wasn't only me who's feeling the gap, after all.

"I know, Britt. Now please finish that up already so you can go home to me and an incredibly delicious pepperoni pizza that I haven't ordered yet, alright? And please don't cry?"

I hear Brittany chuckling from the other line. "Okay. I already had one delivered a few minutes ago, so don't call anymore. I'll be home in a while, wait for me, okay? I love you so much, baby."

I smile like crazy. "I love you too, Britt."

I hang up the phone and indulge on a few more episodes of Khloe and Kourtney.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

I wake up from a nap after San and I studied a bit together.

I slowly motion to sit on the bed and glance back at Santana who's happily sleeping. I tuck her in and stared at her for a few seconds. She's just so perfect. So beautiful, smart, and kind. I didn't know what I did in life to deserve such a woman like her. I almost feel guilty that I don't deserve her. I smile sadly to myself and kiss her on the forehead before I headed back to the living room and decide to study some more.

I sigh at the thought that I've finally finished the assigned readings for my ConLaw later. But at 3am, I'm still halfway in reading everything for a second time. I'm just so unbelievably stressed and exhausted right now that all I'd want is to get in under the covers with Santana and get my cuddle on. Or some action. God, I need to get laid. It's been a while.

I feel bad. The worst, actually. I've been studying relentlessly but at the expense of damaging my relationship with Santana. I know that she's trying hard to be patient but one can only do so much before they snap. We're going through a rough patch right now. We're both stressed, extremely busy, and really aren't in the best terms right now with everything. But we're trying, we really are.

I studied for an hour or two more when I suddenly feel arms wrap around me. I turn to see Santana covering herself with the blanket and looking anxious at me.

"Hey, baby. I woke up to see you're not in bed." Santana mutters tiredly.

"Yeah, sorry. I just needed to catch up some readings before class later."

"You've been at that since yesterday. You barely got any sleep. Come back to bed." She counters.

I sigh. "I have to study, San."

Santana sighs and pouts at me. "Please?"

I chuckle and smile at her. "Maybe in a little while, okay?" I turn my attention back to my book again.

"I guess I have to do it the hard way then." The brunette exclaims and I direct my attention back towards her to see her letting go of the blanket and exposing her naked body in front of me with a smirk. Santana proceeds to tease me more by walking to my room and stopping by the door to wink at me and motion me with her pointing finger to come join her.

_How could I not?_ I immediately stand up and grab the blanket on the way to her room before ravishing her with kisses all over and pleasuring her until she was too tired to open her eyes.

Needless to say, I wasn't able to go back and review again. I didn't regret it for even a second.

* * *

I'm ready for class but then again, I'm not ready. Maybe I am, a bit. I think every law student can relate with that.

Quinn and I were talking about something as we enter our room for ConLaw to see it half-full. We settle in our seats quickly as Quinn excuses herself to go to the toilet before class. I yawn and suddenly have a flashback of Santana and I going at it until it's time for breakfast which made me smirk to myself. It was only then that I notice Laura approaching me on my left. A little too close for comfort.

"Hey, Brittany." Laura says.

"Uh.. Hi, Laura." I say, a little awkwardly. "What's up?"

"Nothing. I just came to apologize for my actions these past few weeks. Really. I felt that I came across as stalker-ish and that's not me at all. I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable." She replies, looking sincere.

My eyes widen in surprise at the apology. "Look, don't get the wrong idea about me. I live close to Adam's and his coffee is out of this world, so I'm in there more than I'm supposed to and well, we're both at the Dalton and in this class. So, it really is just a matter of coincidence. I'm sorry if it came out any other way." Laura adds.

I sigh and nod. I gotta admit that I thought she's a demented serial killer out for me or something. At least, she cleared that up for me.

"That's okay. I understand now." I smile and take a step back when I suddenly bump my hips at the table and clumsily drop my book. I sigh to myself and motion to get it from the floor.

"Nah, I got it." Laura exclaims and crouches to get the book but was much too late when another hand grabs it first.

"I'm not sure if you've understood everything that I've told you before or maybe you'd want me to translate it to a language you can comprehend, Red Neck." Santana tells her upon standing and sizing up against Laura.

"I don't know, Selma Hayek. Can you speak four languages like I do?" The redhead mutters with a smirk.

Santana chuckles and comes closer to her, smirking. "Try five. English, Spanish, Italian, French, even freaking German." The smirk on Laura's face instantly disappears and turns to that of a glare before she huffs and turns on her heels then does a quick glance at Quinn who does the same but rolls her eyes at her.

"Is that true, you can speak five languages?" I ask Santana, looking surprised.

The brunette shakes her head profusely. "The only German I know came from Heidi Klum in Project Runway." She looks at Laura behind me for a moment. "Yeah, Auf Wiedersehen, bitch!"

"S, what are you doing here?" Quinn mutters when she was close enough.

Santana hands me the book and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before looking back at Quinn. "Just thought of sitting in since I don't have class for the rest of the week."

Quinn and I turn to look at each other with wide eyes then back at Santana again. I wave my hands in panic. "No!" I shout loudly which captures the whole class' attention for a second before they all went back to mind their own business.

"Baby, go now and save yourself while you still have the chance!" I tell Santana as I try to push her out of the room. "She calls those who sits in!"

She just laughs and faces me to give me a tight hug. "I don't care, Britt. Let her call on me all she wants."

"No! I'm not kidding, San!"

"I'm not, as well." Santana holds me by the chin and looks at me in the eyes. "I barely see you and I don't want to go just yet, okay? Besides, I wanna see Cassie July in action."

"But-"

"No buts and ands. I read your syllabus and it's almost the same as ours, so I'll be fine, okay?" She gives me a tender kiss and I just nod in defeat.

As soon as we settle in our seats, with Santana on my left and Quinn on my right, July arrived a few minutes after.

"Alright, losers. I'm not in a good mood today, so you all better be ready or it's not gonna be pretty!" July exclaims and I gulp loudly. She proceeds to call on the first name shortly after and the class went into full discussion mode. I turn to glance at Santana every now and then to see her maintaining a particularly calm demeanor with her arms and legs crossed while focusing and listening to every person reciting throughout the first hour and a half.

"Recite Article Two, Section One, Clause Eight of the Constitution. Oath of office of the President." July randomly picks out a card and my heart stops beating for a moment. "Castle."

I breath a sigh of relief and turn to look at Laura who stood up and smugly took a glance at Santana before reciting it with ease. Santana didn't bulge nor did her expression changed. She just maintained a neutral form and listened to Laura speak. After a few minutes of questioning the redhead, what I've been fearing to happen, happened.

"So, supposed to say that the President wasn't able to take the inaugural oath. Can he still execute his office?"

"By virtue of Article Two, yes." Laura replies.

"Is that so?" July mutters sarcastically. "Well, let's call someone else for their opinion on the matter and see if you're right about that."

I see Laura scrunch her eyebrows in confusion. July turns to look at the cards again but when her eyes focus on us for a moment and stayed on us, I froze.

"Do you belong in this class, Miss.." July exclaims with a raised eyebrow. It was only when she focused her eyes on Santana that my heart stopped.

"Lopez. Santana Lopez." Santana calmly says as she stands up. Her expression still neutral, unlike the rest of us who are near fainting from fear and nervousness.

July looks at her curiously. "Lopez? Are you related to Maribel Lopez?"

"Yes, ma'am. She's my mother."

July's eyes widen and I see her eyes seemingly soften. "I can see the resemblance. I think I remember you, Miss Lopez."

Santana didn't reply, but only gave a little smile that instantly disappeared.

Cassie clears her throat and turns to Santana again. "And what are you doing in my class?"

"I came to listen to this class' discussion on Article Two, Mrs. Oldie is still in the hospital." Santana mutters, unfazed.

July nods and does a passing glance at Quinn and I before turning her attention back at Santana. "Well, I supposed they told you that I call on students who sits in my class, Miss Lopez?"

Santana nods. Still calm and confident.

"Well then, what do you think about Miss Castle's answer? Do you agree or disagree with her?"

Santana crosses her arms and purses her lips as if she's thinking about it. Like, seriously think about the answer while July waits for her to reply. This is saying something because Cassie never does that.

"I disagree. Under Article Two of the Constitution, it is stated that an inaugural oath or affirmation is required by the United States Constitution before such President begins the execution of his office. It's stipulated in Clause Eight." Santana confidently mutters and we all turn to stare at her.

I look back at July and see her smirking. The slight pause was suddenly cut when we hear someone clearing their throat. We turn to look at the corner and see Laura standing and looking a bit pissed.

"Castle, I forgot that you even existed." July mutters nonchalantly and the class snickers. "Do you want to rebut on Lopez's answer?" She adds and Laura nods with a raised eyebrow at Santana. Cassie waves her hand, looking bored and motion for the redhead to continue.

"I don't agree with Lopez. An inaugural oath is not an essential requirement. It is merely procedural. If he or she has been elected by the people then the Constitution provides such person to be vested by the powers to become the President." Laura exclaims and turns to glare at Santana.

July laughs and looks at both girls before raising an eyebrow at Santana, as if to ask her if she wants to continue. The brunette smirks for a second. "This I've got to see." Cassie muses with a slight smirk before pointing at Santana to take over.

Santana nods and turns her whole body towards Laura who's at the other side of the room, only being divided by Cassie in the middle. The brunette takes a few seconds, seemingly thinking what to say first before speaking.

"An inaugural oath is an essential requirement, Castle. You've recited the whole Clause, right? It clearly stipulates that it should be taken _before_ he begins the execution of his office." Santana calmly exclaims.

"No." Laura sternly says. "The oath is only procedural, it's not something that should be required. It's in every book."

Santana chuckles. "I haven't read all the books like you, if that's what you're insinuating." She pauses for a second to think before going back to Laura. "Let me ask you something since you seem to know all the books, what does the oath say in general?"

Laura raises an eyebrow at her. "It provides that the President, to the best of his ability, shall preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"Exactly. In this regard, this is his affirmation that he will be taking up a responsibility and swears by such oath as a promise to the people and the country before taking up the said position. Without this, he cannot execute his office."

The redhead squints her eyes at Santana. "What are you getting at, Lopez?"

"It's simple." Santana mutters and looks around for something then grabs a Green Lantern comic from the stoner guy who couldn't care less and sitting behind us before looking back at Laura. "What's Green Lantern's power?"

"It comes from his Ring. It can conjure any shape or form thought by Green Lantern." Laura says, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Right. Supposed to say that the present Green Lantern has decided to hang up his Ring and call it a day. Of course, the Ring needs someone to take over the job and of all people, the majority chose you. A ginger lantern. Would you take it?"

We laugh at her statement. I even saw Miss July looking amused before Laura replied with a shrug and indifference at Santana's words.

"But you see, the Ring, which stands as the Constitution in this story,.." Santana holds out the comic for everyone to see. "requires you to swear that_ before_ you become a legit Green Lantern - the President here -, you're taking the position with a dramatic monologue of saying that "in blackest day and in darkest night" you swear to preserve, protect and defend the said Ring in front of.. " Santana trails off, seemingly out of words.

"Ryan Reynolds, hot chick." Stoner guy nonchalantly says behind us.

"Uh.. Yeah, Ryan Reynolds." Santana looks at him weirdly. "Thanks, guy high on weed or something. No offense, though."

"None taken." The guys replies with a thumbs up and Santana turns to face us again.

"So, you're swearing in front of Ryan Reynolds with a bible or whatever book under one hand and the other raised like you're pledging. The Ring strictly orders that you should affirm and swear by those rules first in front of Ryan Reynolds or any other competent person, declaring that you will be taking the responsibilities that goes along with the job as the next Lantern, before you actually become one. You have to take the oath before the job. The Ring's not gonna have it any other way. It's not a procedure, it's a requirement. Are you following me now, Castle?"

Everyone in the room suddenly smirks and nods at the realization of what she just said. Laura glares at her, really hard. I can feel her anger from where I'm sitting. Santana has once again, knocked it out of the park.

Santana returns the comic to the stoner guy before smirking at Laura. "I believe I've made my point here and discussed the matter that even someone as stoned as this guy behind me understood it." She paused. "So, to answer Miss July's question, under Clause Eight, the President cannot execute his office without first swearing under oath."

Suddenly, we hear clapping coming from the teacher's area. We turn to look at July and see her smirking with her attention towards Santana. "Very good, Lopez. You really are your mother's daughter. Shame you don't belong in my class."

Santana only gives a nod before July turns her attention to Laura with a spiteful glare. "I guess this teaches you that instead of being reliant on your family name, you should be studying harder, Castle. Learn how to read properly or I'll send you back to kindergarten myself." Laura gulps heavily at the statement.

"Oh, and you with the comic? Better clean up your act or you'll be failing this course before you can even say "I love weed!". No comics allowed in class!" Cassie glares at the stoner guy then just rolls her eyes again.

"Class dismissed!" She adds before walking out of the room.

When most of the students have gone, with a few of them regarding Santana for a job well done and Laura glaring again at Santana before leaving the classroom, the three of us got to talking.

"Wow, really good job, San. I've never seen July smile and congratulate someone for a good job. I'm not even aware that she knows how to smile!" I happily exclaim as I give Santana a congratulatory kiss then engulfing her in a hug.

"Yeah, and you've finally put that damn Castle in her place here." Quinn huffs.

"I try." Santana smugly tells us and we playfully roll our eyes at her.

"I think someone's getting laid again later.." I tell Santana with a smirk which she instantly reacts to by biting her lip and leaning closer.

"Ugh.. I thought I escaped this when I moved out." Quinn rolls her eyes at us and we all laugh before leaving the room to have a quick snack with our friends.

* * *

**Thoughts?**


	19. Chapter 19

**\- Santana POV -**

Insecurity. I think that's what brewing between us. Coupled with our lack of time for each other and jealousy, then you've got yourselves a complicated situation.

A week and a half has passed and my relationship with Brittany finds itself in much deeper trouble. Worse than what it was before I sat in July's class. My fights with Brittany have been taking its toll on me and our relationship. Our hectic schedules aren't helping the situation either. Whenever we see each other, petty things turn into a big deal. Honestly, I feel like we're starting to lose each other. We try to mend it but sometimes, it's not enough, you know. The strain in our relationship is clearly showing its colors.

It all started when Brittany brought me as her date to this invite only semi-formal dinner that the Dalton arranged on a Sunday.

Quinn and Brittany disappeared for a while somewhere, so Rachel and I talked among ourselves while waiting for them.

"So, how about we make a bet to pass the time, Berry?" I ask before taking a sip of my wine.

"Gambling is bad, Santana." She tells me seriously with her face all scrunched up.

I roll my eyes. "Not like that. Like a harmless bet. When you lose, you get to do my bidding and when I do, I'll do whatever it is that you want. Just nothing sexually inclined because that's a real deal breaker for me, alright?"

Her ears perk up. "Alright! That sounds fun. What is this bet about?"

I think about it for a moment. "I bet that Castle didn't bring a date. I mean, someone as awful as her can't have someone in her arms. I mean, she's basically intolerable. How about that?" I smirk.

"What? That's mean, Santana. We can't make bets about people like that."

I sigh. "Just go with it Berry!"

"Okay, okay! I'm betting that she brought a date." Rachel mutters. "What's the consequence then?"

"Hmm.. If I win, you have to write me a few case briefs for Admin this week."

"But that's 20 long cases that I'll have to summarize." Rachel huffs.

"Exactly the point." I tell her with a smirk. "Now, how about you?"

"If I win, we'll perform a one day band gig with the others." She muses.

"What?! No way!"

"Come on, yours isn't exactly easy. And if Laura isn't around then the whole thing would be rendered void anyway."

I think it over for a moment and shake my head in disbelief that I'll be making a life-threatening bet with Berry. It's like selling my soul to the Devil. "Alright." I hold out my hand for a handshake which she takes in agreement.

After a few minutes, Quinn and Brittany are back and we all engage in a conversation about the impending exams. It was only when we all run out of wine that Brittany and Rachel volunteered to refill our glasses.

"So, how's everything, S?"

"Don't ask, Q." I mutter under my breath because I really don't want to talk about it right now.

"Trouble in paradise?" She looks at me, worriedly.

I sigh and was about to answer when I get cut off.

"Hi. Santana?"

A soft voice says and I turn around to see a familiar brunette girl whose name I can't remember. She instantly picks up on my dilemma and fills in the blank for me. "It's Mia. We uh.. had class together back in your Junior Year?" She raises her eyebrows in emphasis and it clicked. I hooked up with this girl once or twice before.

Red flag.

"Oh, yeah! Right! Uh.. What's up? Are you taking up law as well?" I say, nervously. I look behind me to see Quinn with semi-wide eyes and a few feet behind her, Brittany looking curiously at us.

Fuck.

"No, I'm with someone who is, actually. How about you? Still the resident player?" This Mia asks with a smirk.

"Not anymore. I'm with my girlfriend, actually."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "You have a girlfriend? Like, seriously?" I nod profusely in reply and I hear Quinn whisper something behind me that I wasn't able to catch.

"That's okay, I don't mind. Maybe if you're up for it later." She adds with a wink and couldn't be any more obvious with what she's talking about. This Mia girl is flirting with me like her life depends on it. I could practically see the sign above her head saying "Desperate for you!"

I feel a hand behind my lower back, slightly creasing the dress I'm wearing. "Who's up for what later?" Brittany mutters with a raised eyebrow. She looks back at the girl first who stares at her for a moment then back at me.

Oh boy, I'm so dead. Fuck.

"Nothing, we were just discussing something. And you are?" Mia exclaims with disdain in her voice and I'm panicking deep inside. I glance behind me to see Quinn and Rachel having the same expression.

"Her girlfriend." Brittany grits through her teeth. "And you?"

"One of the many girls your girlfriend hooked up with before." Mia exclaims as she crosses her arms.

Double fuck.

I close my eyes and bite my lip as I look at the both of them, still glaring at each other and hardly breaking eye contact.

It was only after a few seconds of tension that Brittany looks down at the floor then turns her attention to Quinn and Rachel behind us. "I'm heading out. See you tomorrow." She tells them and walks out without even looking at me.

I hold my breath for a moment before looking back at Mia and rolling my eyes at her. I send Quinn a quick nod as if to say that I'm following Brittany. I hastily walk towards the exit but not before seeing Castle engage in some awful PDA with an upperclassman who looks like her date.

Great. Now I've lost even to Berry.

* * *

I only caught up with Brittany when she was near the school's exit already. It took some nudging and a few words to finally convince her to get in my car wherein she refused to talk to me throughout the whole three minute trip to her apartment and until we reached her place. It was only when I closed the door that she stopped walking with her back towards me in the living room.

"Look, that girl just came out of nowhere, okay? There's no need for you to get jealous, Britt." I try to explain. Instead, she glared back at me, looking really pissed.

"That's not the point here, San. You were flirting back with her even if you knew who she was!" I was surprised by the intensity of her voice.

"No, I wasn't flirting back. Now, calm down!" I say, exasperated. "She came on to me and you caught our conversation at a really bad time when I was just about to reply."

"Really? What is it exactly that you were about to say?"

Air. That's what came out of my mouth because the truth was, I didn't even know what to say in the first place before Brittany approached us.

"See? I find it hard to believe when she was throwing herself at you like that and you weren't doing anything to rebuff her advances." Woah there. Bullseye. She hit me at the right spot that I'm not even able to reply back instantly like usual.

"Britt.."

"No, San! I know we're having problems but that's so unfair for you to do that!" She snaps at me and my blood slowly boils from anger.

"This is getting out of hand, you're just overreacting! Look, I'm here, alright? I didn't go with that girl. I'm in a committed relationship with you. What more do you want from me?!" I shout a little too loud but instead of taking a step back, Brittany comes closer with the same stance.

"I want you, okay? I don't want to feel this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that you'll eventually go back to your womanizing ways when I'm not around or looking. You're even too afraid at the prospect of living together. What makes you think us being together is any different from the relationship you had with those girls you've had sex with?"

Wow.

"It's not like that, okay? This is different and special. You and me." I ramble and she's still glaring me.

Instead of trying to talk things over or walk towards to give her a kiss and make sure everything's alright. I do the exact opposite.

"What, it's not like Castle's backing down from being persistent to get you in her bed and you're doing something about that." I snap and instantly regret it the second it came out of my mouth.

Her eyes widen in surprise. "What?"

_Shut up, Lopez. Take back what you said._ "Come on, it's true! You aren't doing anything to keep her away from you. You're even encouraging it!"

"There is nothing going on between me and her, how many times do I have to tell you that?!" Brittany exclaims with a sigh.

"Yeah. Until the next time she's there and charms you again." I say sarcastically.

"This is not about me, San. I-" Brittany stops herself and throws her hands in the air before taking a seat in her couch. She covers her face with her hands. She's not crying, I know it. Brittany's thinking, and she's thinking deep which scares me the most.

After a moment and when we've at least calm down, I sit on the couch and try to hug her but only to be rejected. Brittany stands and turns to face me instead with glassy eyes and instantly looks down at the floor, avoiding my gaze.

"L-let's just talk later. Just not right now, p-please." The blonde whispers, barely breaking the silence with her voice.

I stand up and walk towards her but she takes a step back and shakes her head. Her sudden reaction breaks my heart because I know that I've hurt her and the sadness in her eyes says it all. I bite my lip and try to hide that I'm as hurt as her right now.

I look at Brittany one last time and I know that this too much already for one night. I nod and slowly walk out of her place to my car. When I arrived home, I feel tears automatically come out. I probably looked like an idiot watching American Idol while crying. I mean, the show is terrible in itself but I'm crying for an entirely different reason.

I'm losing Brittany.

* * *

I wasn't able to sleep the whole night. Even for just a minute.

My thoughts were clouded by Brittany all night. She didn't text or call me at all after I went home, which was a first. I decided to cut my Admin Law just because I don't feel like going and well, I'm not ready for class at all. So, instead, I turned off my phone and decided to catch just a little bit of sleep before Evidence.

Shortly after waking up and getting ready for class, I've entered the room just in time to see it almost full. I look around to find Brittany looking sadly at me and knowing her, she wants to talk things over. But I don't. Not just yet, not right now. So, instead of going over to sit beside her like she's expecting, I scoot Kurt over from the aisle seat and managed to convince him to take the chair beside Brittany instead without any questions.

I take a quick glance at the blonde and see her visibly upset and hurt. Like really upset and I suddenly think twice about what I just did but the hard headedness in me didn't bulge. Thankfully, Mami arrived soon after which gave me a reason as I ignore everyone's attempt to talk to me or anything at all for the next hour or so.

It was only when class was about to end that I suddenly regretted going to class at all today.

"Lopez."

A voice calls out and I thought that it's one of my friends again or some random person who's out to ask me if I have an extra pen because I don't, okay?! Why do you even go to class without a damn pen?! Dammit.

"Lopez!" The voice calls out louder and I glance up, looking annoyed, to see everyone staring at me. Everyone. Then I looked at Mami, who's staring curiously at me. "Santana, I called you. Didn't you hear me?" Mother exclaims softly.

I clear my throat, surprised at the sudden attention she's giving me. I stand up and breath deeply first before turning my attention back to Mami who's giving me her signature worried mother glance.

"Pardon me, ma'am. Can you kindly repeat the question?" I say. Of course, we're in a classroom setting, after all.

"I asked what Burden of Proof is, Santana." Mother mutters and assumes her professional persona as a law professor.

Burden of what? Shit. I didn't study. I wasn't able to because I chose to sleep instead then obsess about my problems with Britt like a crazy person. I should have opened my damn book before going here.

"Uh.. It is t-the mandatory requirement of a party to p-produce evidence that will shift the conclusion away from one party to the o-other." I stutter. It's the first time this has ever happened to me. I look at Mami and she looks confused.

"What? I didn't quite understand that."

"Burden of proof is the i-imperative in one's party to produce e-evidence, so that the conclusion will shift away from the default position to one's o-own position."

Silence.

I look at Mother and read through her reaction. _You did not study, Mija. _I can practically hear it in my head.

"Alright. What is Benefit of Assumption then?"

I hear whispers beside me that I'm assuming must be the answer to the question but I can't seem to understand a damn thing they're saying.

"I.. Uhmm.. I-it means that a p-party needs no evidence to support his claim?" I guess.

Mami takes a deep breath before looking back at me with a raised eyebrow and nodding. "So, if let's say, I fulfill the burden of proof, what happens now? What can we assume from then on?"

Fuck.

I stay silent and try to calm down because I really don't know shit right now. I take a quick glance around and see that they're all looking at me as if I did something wrong. I weighed my options first. If I try to answer this, I would only look like a fool for even trying in the first place. If I don't, well, same thing.

I really don't know anything so might as well just be honest about it. I hung my head low and whisper loud enough for Mami to hear.

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am. I-I don't know the answer."

I can see from here, from the look in her eyes, that look of disappointment she's giving me right now. I know that look because she's only given me that once before. When instead of coming home for Papi's birthday back when I was a freshman in uni, I spent it partying in the Carribean out of spite because they weren't around for my birthday. This is the look she's giving me right now. I failed her. Fucking shit. I failed my mother and I can't be more embarrassed.

"I'll have to ask you to leave the class then, Mija." Mother tells me with such a soft tone that I know she's sad about making me leave in the first place but she has to. It's one of her rules. If you chose not to answer, you have to leave class.

I swallow a lump in my throat and hesitantly nod at her statement. I gather my things as fast as I could but not before giving Brittany a glance to see her looking back at me with sadness or something heavier. I walk out of the classroom with all their eyes on me. I can't help but sneak a glance at Mami on my way out to see her disappointment slapping me in the face with how close she is from me. I look down and embarrassingly leave the class.

This has gotta be the worst day of my life.

* * *

I'm eating my heart out with Mr. Cheetos and Mr. Lays on my couch while watching The Amazing Race when the door to my apartment suddenly opens and nearly scared the crap out of me. I whip my head back to see Quinn glaring and approaching me like a madwoman.

I hold up my hands before she tried to open her mouth. "Before you say anything, please be kind and hand me a beer from the fridge for the both of us." I say with a fake grin. Quinn rolls her eyes at me and proceeds to close my front door first before obeying my wish. After a while, she takes a seat beside me.

"Okay. I promised Maribel, Brittany, and Rachel that I won't scream at you nor shout. That I will talk some sense into you as calmly as possible." Quinn mutters to herself and I look at her weirdly. Then, she stands up and I brace myself for the incoming onslaught.

"What the hell is happening to you?! You didn't attend Admin today and botched studying for Evidence just so you can sleep away your problems and not face it like a grown woman?! Santana Lopez, that is not the way we were raised!" Quinn screams at me and she's even turning red from anger.

I'm still staring at her when I take a swig of my beer before looking down then back at her. "How did you get into my apartment in the first place, by the way? I changed the locks."

"Brittany gave me her key." Quinn mutters nonchalantly.

"Like, a copy?" I say, a little surprised.

"No, she just let me borrow it. But maybe I should have it copied."

"What? Don't you dare, Q!" I exclaim.

"Come on, it's not like- Wait! You're trying to deviate from the topic!" She accuses me with a finger and I stare back at her then shrug.

"Why don't you sit down first, calm down a little, drink at least a quarter of your beer before we get to talking?" I tell her calmly. She thinks about it first before agreeing eventually.

After a few minutes of watching contestants make a fool of themselves in a challenge, Quinn finally spoke.

"I've heard everything and I guess you know why they sent me here to talk to you."

I chuckle. "Yeah, because they think you're the only one who can talk some sense into me?"

"That, and you're an idiot who needs to be slapped in the face every now and then."

"You were always such a genius slapper, Q."

We laugh a little. "How about you tell me what happened, S?" Quinn asks.

I sigh and try to conjure the right words to say before I finally replied. "I think Brittany and I are done, Q. We're just growing apart and being teared down by all the bullshit around us. When we try to talk, that is if we even get to see each other, we fight instead because we don't have the energy to rationalize and talk things through anymore. I guess it got the best of me and it took down everything in its path."

Quinn nods and takes a gulp from her beer first. "You wanna know how Rachel and I came to a decision to move in together, S?"

"Actually, no. I don't want to know because it's only going to bring nightmares later and please, don't try to steal my thunder." I jest and she rolls her eyes at me before I motion for her to continue.

"We were thinking about it as far as the start of Spring Term. We thought maybe we're ready for the next step but then again, maybe we're not." Quinn pauses. "Then Spring Term came like a cyclone and just literally drove us apart. We were fighting like crazy, we were so busy that we could hardly talk to each other. I barely saw her out of class, S. All we've been doing is study. We almost broke up. I mean, we didn't have sex for a month too!"

I shake my head and hold up my hands. "Look, Q. Just get to the point and leave the horror story back at your place."

Quinn smirks before continuing. "Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is, we tried to open the topic of moving in together then. We thought that maybe it could save the relationship, maybe not. We told each other that we're not that ready but that we're willing to work things out. One of our main problems was not seeing each other but if we decide to live together, not only are we going to see each other everyday, we get to go home to each other too. And that was only the first of many remedies. We took a chance and moving in with each other is the best thing that's ever happened to us, so far."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "So, you're saying that if I move in with Brittany, all our problems would disappear?"

Quinn waves her hand in disregard. "No, S. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't be afraid of anything or taking risks because sometimes the things you fear might even lead you to great things. And I meant that not in a Freddy Kreuger way. You see, it's okay to talk and think about things like that first because it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll take the plunge right then and there." Quinn pauses.

"Brittany's afraid that you'll go back to your womanizing ways any second because she's insecure on where she stands in your life right now. You even told her that you're afraid to take your relationship to the next level by moving in together. She can accept that you're not ready or that you're scared, but it's hard to grasp it when it's a combination of both. It's like you're outright saying that you're not sure if your relationship's going anywhere at all."

I think about it for a second and shit, Quinn's right again. "But I feel the same way about her on the insecure part."

Quinn smiles genuinely at me. "And I'm with you. That's what you girls need to discuss and maybe that would be a good starting point for talking things over. You have to ask yourself too if you're afraid to be with her or just afraid that you're changing your lifestyle more than you already have."

"I want to be with her, Quinn. She's it for me. But I'm afraid that I'll screw things up for her. I mean she's my first serious girlfriend. What do I know about moving in and all that domestic shit?" I say, worriedly.

"No one's forcing or saying that you should move in with her right now, S. But if you really want her, then show her. Don't be afraid of change just because you're afraid of screwing things up, you won't. It's hard, yes and you'll learn that everything's worth it along the way." Quinn turns to face me. "You do love her, right?"

"So much, Q. You know how I love being independent in every way, right? Well, waking up without her is automatically a cranky morning for me and come on, I am not the clingy type that I've become right now!" I say with a chuckle.

Quinn laughs. "Then I think you have an answer, S." She tells me with a wink. "So, I suggest that you talk to her later, fix everything, then maybe make love to her like she wants you to-"

"Oh God. You did not just quote a Boyz II Men song, Q."

"Apologize and tell her how you feel. That's about it. No theatrics needed. Don't be too proud to beg."

"Can you stop with the song references?" I mutter exasperatedly and we both chuckle. "Where is Britt, by the way?"

"Oh, she's at the library with her group mates, they're reporting for the Dalton meeting again tomorrow. Brittany told me to tell you that she'll come home around 9-ish. She'll call you if something comes up." Quinn says nonchalantly and drinks her beer. My heart suddenly sinks at the thought of Laura Fucking Castle being around her again.

"Don't worry about Castle, she doesn't stand a chance, believe me on that. Brittany's rejected her too many times, she's probably a legend in the Friendzone now, if they were even friends to start with. Brittany loves you, S. No one else matters for her." Quinn adds and makes a face at me. I playfully roll my eyes at her.

"Oh no, Mami." I shot up, suddenly remembering how disappointed she was a while ago.

"Just try to do better next time and better come to class fucking prepared." Quinn mutters nonchalantly and I look at her weirdly.

"Since when did you become the voice of reason in my head? Don't get smug like that, this is your job." I tell her with a smirk. "But thank you, Q."

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me 50 dollars. Half the price of being a shrink, like what we talked about previously."

"Whatevs, Fabgay. You get to have a copy of my key, after all. Maybe. We'll see." I roll my eyes at her.

"I know you won't be able to resist my charms, Lopez." Quinn winks at me.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night, Q." I say then get cut off by the sound of thunder. I stand up to take a peak behind the curtain to see that it's raining outside. I take a glance at the clock to see that it's only 8pm. An hour before Brittany gets off.

"Looks like there's a storm coming. Maybe I'll just fetch Britt later."

Quinn nods. "She'll just probably call you." She says. "Now it's your turn to get me a beer while we wait for the rain to stop. I might even help you with your speech later. You ain't getting rid of me yet, Lezpez!"

* * *

**So, my girlfriend has finally discovered my secret fanfiction life and has been bugging me for spoilers. I told her to wait just like everybody else. I think I'll be single by the end of the day. HAHA.**


	20. Chapter 20

**\- Brittany POV -**

It's raining cats and dogs right now.

Speaking of cats, I miss Lord Tubbington. He must be lounging like a king on the couch right now by the fireplace. Maybe with a whiskey and Cuban. Which reminds me that I gotta tell him to stop smoking. Again.

Anyway, after hours of brainstorming for our Labor Law report tomorrow, we're finally finishing up with only a few more details to iron out before we all get to go home. I fish my phone out and see that there's still aren't any messages from Santana or Quinn. They're probably still talking or something. I hate seeing Santana like this. It hurts me a whole lot to see her so broken these past few days. And what happened in Evidence was so not like her, it makes me feel extremely guilty.

I just hope that when I get home, she's waiting for me so we can talk things through. I said some stuff that I shouldn't have. I knew from the moment I accused her of being unfair and in questioning the stand of our relationship, I crossed a line. Not only have I offended her but I also hurt her, big time. I was the one being unfair with her. I need to apologize about every little thing that I've done for the past month or so because as they say, we're in this together. I just hope she's calm down now so we can talk already. I don't think I can go on another day with us being like this, it's.. Ugh! Even thinking about it drains the life out of me. You know that feeling when you just love someone so much that when the going gets tough, it's as if your whole world feels as if it's crumbling around you? This is it. And I hate every second of it.

I hate being like this with Santana and I don't want to lose her. You know what? Maybe I'll ask her to move in with me! I know we talked about the no pressure thing but seriously, it took all I had in me not to tell her that I'm more than ready to take our relationship to the next level. Maybe that's why I feel kind of bitter regarding the stuff I said about moving in. I hate myself for not telling the truth about how I felt and I've only got me to blame. I really wanted to but I need to respect that she's afraid and not ready for it yet.

Waking up next to Santana is probably the best thing ever. Making love with the brunette and watching her making breakfast in her underwear or just my Princeton hoodie comes both in a close second. Living with her is probably the ultimate dream aside from getting the dream girl: Santana.

My group mates and I finally arrived at a concrete presentation and some of them are starting to pack up and I proceed to do the same. I don't have my bike with me today since I thought of walking to school so I can think about some things and shake off some steam. It's still raining heavily, so I decide to call Santana and maybe ask her to pick me up but upon unlocking my phone, it went dead. Darn, I forgot to charge it this morning. I don't even have an umbrella with me. Argh!

We said our goodbyes and I hastily exit the building only to see that it's raining harder than it was a few minutes ago. I stop at the steps of Langdell Hall, tightly clutching the books in my arms as I think of a way to make it home in this kind of weather.

My exit's a little far away from where I'm standing, so how do I do this? Maybe I should make a run for it, I can always change when I get home. Wait, no. My books will be ruined and the laptop inside my shoulder bag might short-circuit or something. How about I wait it out? But seeing how strong the wind and rain is, I doubt it'd stop for another hour or so and I don't want that. I just want to go home and see Santana. Hopefully.

"Do you need a ride?"

A voice calls out behind me and I see Laura, wearing a white v-neck shirt, brown jacket, dark blue jeans, and boots with heels, looking at me curiously with a soft smile.

"Uh.. No, I'm fine. Just waiting for the rain to stop." I say.

The redhead chuckles and slowly climbs down the steps to stand on the right beside me. "I doubt it would stop anytime soon with the rate it's going."

I sigh because she's right. I glance at her. "I'm fine, really."

"I know. I'm just offering since they announced on the news that it's only gonna get worse." Laura tells me with a smile. "If it makes you feel any better, I can just drop you off at your exit or if you're on the way, I can drop you off in front of your place."

I only return the smile and go back to think about how I'll solve my problem again.

"Suit yourself." Laura mutters as she proceeds to walk away from me.

I look around to see that no one's around outside except for us. My other group mates live in the dorms nearby and I'm not exactly that sociable, so I don't know a lot of people. If I wanna go home right now, there really is no other way. I think about it for a second. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

"W-wait!" I exclaim and she looks back at me. I purse my lips. "W-Where do you live?"

"Brattle. You?"

My eyes widened. So, that's why I see her a lot at Adam's. She practically lives in Harvard Square. "Mt. Auburn Street." I say.

Laura smiles. "Come on, then. You're close enough from my place. Don't worry, I'll just drop you in front of your building, and that's it."

I think about it for a second, if I'm really sure about this. _Pros and cons._ If I hitch a ride with her, I'll get home in probably five minutes or so, depending on the traffic. And if it's true that this storm is only going to be worse, logic dictates that I should accept. _Pros and cons._ But if I don't accept, I'll probably spend the night here in the library and with my phone dead like this, oh boy. Santana won't like it either way but I have to do this.

"Lopez doesn't need to know, if that's what you're worried about."

I cast a glance at the redhead and try to process her words. _I'm just worried for your life when she discovers I hitched a ride with you, you know._ I'm just really desperate right now. So, ugh.. fuck it.

"Okay." I sigh. "But no funny business, alright?"

Laura laughs and nods. "Of course. My car's just over there. Let's go."

* * *

We run to the parking lot and immediately get into her BMW Sedan. As soon as we get inside, I fix my dress and try to wipe the water away from face.

"Here." Laura hands me a box of tissues. "Feel free to use all of it."

I thank her and proceed to dry myself out a little. "Why are you suddenly being nice to me like this?"

She chuckles and looks at me for a second while she removes her wet jacket. "I've always been nice."

"Too nice, actually." I mumble.

"What was that?"

"O-oh, nothing. Let's go before it gets worse." I say.

Laura nods and slowly pulls out of the parking lot. The raindrops are like bullets hitting on her windshield and even more so now that the car's moving. Honestly, I can barely see anything anymore. I decide to think of something else instead of worrying about every little thing, so I look around in her car and notice that it's neat and her stuff's organized. I can tell that she's into indie music too.

"Yeah. I know that it's not anywhere near as awesome as Lopez's sports car." The redhead mutters with her eyes still focused on the road.

"That's not what I was thinking."

She glances at me for a while then back in front. We went silent for a complete minute. It was only when I vividly saw the exit that I chose to speak again.

"Thank you for offering me a ride." I say shyly.

"No problem." Laura exclaims. "You look like you were contemplating life and death back at Langdell."

I chuckle. "Yeah, I just really need to go home."

"Is Lopez waiting for you?"

I sigh deeper than I should have and looked down. "I hope."

Laura turns to give me a questioning look but doesn't push for it and instead, stays silent. Well, for a few seconds, that is.

"I know it's not my business, but is everything all right? You've been kind of different and silent these past few weeks in our group meetings." She asks and I can tell that it's pretty genuine.

I bite my lip, unsure how to go with this. "It-it's fine. We're just.. We're having a few hiccups. I'm sure you know how it is."

The redhead nods. "Yeah. I was in a relationship for a year before I moved here."

"Really? What happened? I mean, if you don't mind."

She shrugs. "Well, we just grew apart. And uhmm.. We weren't exactly honest and faithful to each other."

My eyes widen a little at her words. "Oh."

"Lopez would be missing a whole lot if you guys break up." Laura tells me and the motive behind her tone is really more than obvious.

"Laura, I.. You know, I'm not really interested in anything, right?"

"Yeah. You've been more than clear with that. I've practically memorized your words by now."

"Then why are you being so persistent?" My voice raises a little.

"Because I like you? I think it's obvious enough, Brittany." She huffs.

I glare at her. "This has got to stop. Please."

The redhead glares back at me and doesn't answer before turning her attention back on the road again. I look up to see that we're almost nearing at my place and I point to her where she can drop me off.

"Look, I hope this is the last time we'll talk about this." I quip. "Thank you for the ride again and stay safe." She nods defeatedly.

I get out of the car and ran as fast as I could to the sidewalk and into my building. When I reached my floor, I'm already so damn drenched from the rain, it looks like I took a complete shower in my clothes. I felt myself shiver upon opening my door and so badly hope that Santana's here.

She's not.

I sigh then close the door with a little more force than usual. I look at the wall clock to see that it's almost 10pm already. Maybe she's not coming. This can't be. I throw my bag on the couch and quickly went to my room to change into a fresh shirt and shorts. I suddenly hear a few loud knocks from the front door and I immediately stand up and grab my towel as I go racing towards it, hoping that it's Santana.

"Laura?" I exclaim, surprised. The girl is drenched as hell from the rain too.

"Uh.. Y-you forgot your books." She tells me, visibly shivering.

I accept the books and place them on the table beside the door. "How did you know which apartment was mine?"

"A-an old lady who was about to get in t-told me which o-one was yours when s-she asked who I was looking for. I even s-showed her your name on your books f-for proof." The redhead rambles.

I nod and felt another cold gust of wind that made me shiver. "Look, I'm getting really cold here but thank you again for the books."

Laura holds up her hands and shakes her head. "I-it's n-nothing." She mutters and I can see that she's really shivering and shaking like crazy, even her teeth are rattling that at first I thought she's masticating something. I think she's close to having hypothermia.

I must look like an idiot staring at her, contemplating if I'll let her in so I can at least offer a warm coffee to go as a sort of thank you or maybe some dry shirt and towel before going on her journey home. I don't think it's safe for anyone to drive when they're as shaken like this. What to do? _Don't give in, Britt. Don't you dare!_

The Good - _Stupid_ \- Samaritan in me kicks in. "Uhmm.. Do you want some coffee to go to warm yourself? You look like you're having a seizure. Maybe a dry shirt, as well?" _Why are you being nice? Don't do this!_

She looks at me in surprise. "I.. Uh.. I-If it's not t-too b-bothersome-"

"Come in." I say, opening the door for her.

It felt like I just welcomed the Devil herself into my door.

* * *

"Here, this would fit you." I say, handing her a white shirt. I also give her a towel to dry herself out.

We look at each other awkwardly before I cleared my throat. "I-I'll just get a thermos for you and be right back." I say and she thanks me.

I went into my room and charged my phone first before doing anything else. When it finally opened after a minute or two, I instantly see a couple of messages from Quinn and Santana. I immediately redialed the brunette's phone only to go straight to voicemail. _Maybe she's coming, after all._

I walk back to the living room a few minutes after to see Laura looking a little bit drier and with the towel around her neck.

"How do you like your coffee? Milk?" I ask her and she turns around to face me and settles herself by the living room.

"Yes please, and some sugar." I nod and hand her coffee shortly after in a thermos which she quickly sips without a care that it's even steaming.

"Thank you for your shirt. It's really c-comfy." She mutters, looking better than she was a few minutes ago.

"It's my bestfriend's. Don't mention it."

She nods shyly and motions to look around my apartment. It kinda surprised me because I thought that she'll leave as soon as I give her the coffee. I purse my lips, thinking of a way to kick her out without being rude.

"This is a p-pretty nice place. And kinda big for one person." She exclaims.

"Thanks. My bestfriend just moved out a couple of weeks ago, actually."

"Uh.. Rachel Berry, right?" I nod at her statement. "So, no plans to move in with Lopez soon?"

I only gave her a fake smile. "I really don't feel like discussing that."

"Come on, it's not like I'm doing anything wrong. It's only a question." She smirks.

I glare at her then clear my throat. "Look, I'm getting a bit sleepy already. So, if you don't mind.."

Laura stares at me for a moment before getting it. "Oh. Yeah. Of course." She says and hands me the towel then proceeds to remove the shirt.

My eyes widened instantly and I hold up both of my hands to stop her. "No! It's okay. You can keep the shirt."

Instead of listening, Laura only smirks and removes the shirt anyway to unveil a beige bra underneath and I think some abs to go along with it. I instantly look away, feeling uncomfortable. "Can you please put that shirt back on?"

It was only when she takes a few steps forward and stops in front of me that I looked up and see her smirking. I take a few steps away from where she's standing then turn my back against her. "Alright. Stop fooling around. I need you to leave now." I say with a hard tone.

"Come on, Brittany. You know you want some of this." Laura exclaims behind me.

"Look, Laura. I told you I'm not interested. Can you put on the shirt and leave now, please? Santana will be here soon."

The redhead sarcastically chuckles. "With this kind of weather? I doubt it. It's just you and me tonight, baby."

I clench my fists in anger and turn to face her again. "I am not your baby! I said, leave! Now!" I scream and I see her face slowly contorting to that of an angry expression.

"Fine! But I'm not going anywhere without doing this."

Laura leans towards me and the next thing I knew, I felt her lips touching mine.

It was so sudden and unwanted that I feel the anger inside me truly reach it's boiling point. The only lips that should be touching mine is Santana's. No. One. Else. But. Santana. Laura kissing me felt like an eternity but in reality, is really actually just a fraction of a second. An unbearable millisecond.

I pushed her off of me and finally give her what she truly deserves and something that I discovered just now that I've been dying to do since the first time she disrespected me and the people I love. And for even kissing me.

I slapped her. Hard. Really fucking hard.

I heard how my hand hit her face so hard that her right cheek turned flaming red after a few seconds. It must have felt like a cannon for her because she's clutching her face like it's broken. Fear and surprise. That's what I'm seeing. I'll be surprised if she didn't act that way because I learned from the best slapper I know: Quinn Fabray. Rumor has it that Quinn once broke a guy's jaw from slapping him too hard because he checked her out while he was talking to his girlfriend.

"What the fuck?!"

"Don't you ever come near me or fucking touch me again! And get the fucking out of my apartment or I'm calling security!" I'm shouting so hard that my throat hurts from exerting too much effort.

Laura only glares at me. I throw her Rachel's shirt and she put it on as fast as she could. "Get out!" I shout again. She proceeds to get her stuff from the floor and only stopped in her tracks when she turned to face the door looking like she saw a ghost with how pale she went.

"Are you deaf?! I said-"

I follow her gaze and realized why she froze.

"San?" I almost whispered.

Santana. Dressed in her favorite gray sweater and jeans. Standing by the door carrying my favorite chocolate and flowers. Glaring hard at us without any expression. I don't know when she got here or what she saw. But I hope it's not what I'm thinking because the way she's looking at me with those dark eyes, it's not any good.

That's what scares me the most.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

I'm feeling particularly chirpy right now.

After my "empowering" talk with Quinn, I called my mother to apologize about what happened in class. She launched into a mini-sermon but in the end, told me to get it together because she hates to see me so sad. I even got to talk a little with Papi too, so my mood even got better.

After I dropped Quinn off at her place, I bought my girl her favorite flowers and chocolates. Just you know, something to give her. Brittany hasn't called and I can't reach her too, so maybe she's still at school. I made up my mind after a few seconds and decide to just wait for her in her apartment. To surprise her. I even played with the diamond pendant she gave me last Christmas as I drove to her place.

So, I park my car a little far away than I would have liked and where I usually park. I take out my huge umbrella as I gather all my stuff. Luckily, I didn't get that wet on the way to her building even if it's raining like crazy. I'm humming to myself because even though I'm a bit nervous about talking to her, I'm really hellbent in ending all the drama and finally fix everything between us. I said some awful stuff and so did she. I was hurt by her words and so was she with mine. Shots were fired. It's about damn time we talk.

I reach her floor and hear some voices. It was only when I came face to face with Britt's apartment that I realize it was coming from her place. So, I hastily open the door to see Laura Fucking Castle, half naked in all her glory, and laying one on Brittany.

Shit. I think I'm about to have a heart attack or something.

I look down and try to maintain my balance. I'm finding it hard to breathe. Fuck. I need air. I hear a sharp sound then some shouting from where they're standing and see Brittany extremely angry at Castle who's clutching her jaw, pointing towards me or the door.

It was only after a moment that they find out about my presence. First, Castle, who's fully clothed by now. Then, Brittany.

"San?"

My name rolls out of Brittany's tongue and she looks scared out her wits. My confusion awhile ago and the abruptness of everything worn out within seconds and was replaced by anger. Fury to be exact.

I've never felt so many emotions pierce through me all at the same time.

* * *

**It had to happen :(**


	21. Chapter 21

**\- Brittany POV -**

"San, y-you're mistaken. I-it's not how you think it is." I exclaim upon seeing her by the door.

"Lopez-" Laura chimes in but gets cut off.

"Leave." Santana mutters in the most calm and stern way possible.

"Look-"

"Fucking. Leave. Now. While I still have the self control not to go all fucking hunger games on you!" The brunette closes her eyes and grits through her teeth.

I look at Laura and see her extremely scared as she complies in an instant, slowly walking out of the apartment but not before taking a glance back at Santana, who just glares hard at her.

It took us a complete minute after Laura left and closed the door that we spoke.

"B-Baby, it's not what you think-"

"What I think?! How about you fucking explain to me why that creep kissed you!" Santana screams as she approaches me in front of the couch and throws the flowers and chocolates on the coffee table.

"I-I don't know! She just d-did. I s-slapped her after." Words are clouding in my mind, just scrambling to get a word out is a struggle. "I hitched a ride with her and-"

"What?! Why would you- Why didn't you just call me instead?!"

"M-my phone went dead and t-the rain was so strong. I thought you'd be here when I came home. S-so I hurried and just accepted her offer to drop me off."

"And you fucking expect me to believe that?!" Santana angrily exclaims.

"B-baby, calm d-down. Please." I almost whisper.

"No, I am not going to calm down! You fucking lied to me, Britt! You told me there was nothing going on between you and Castle then I see her in your apartment, in the middle of your living room laying one on you and half-naked!"

"T-There's nothing going on b-between us. I-I'm telling you the truth!"

"Then answer me. Why is she even here, huh?" Santana challenges me with her tone.

"I.. I-I offered her coffee to go as a sort of thank y-you when she came up because I forgot m-my books in her car then gave her a dry shirt to change into because she was shaking like crazy from shivering. That's all there is to it, San. I-I swear!"

"Bullshit! And you're the one telling me that I'm being unfair?!"

"I'm not l-lying!"

"Yeah? Well, I don't fucking believe that, either." Santana tells me with so much disdain.

We stare at each other for a few seconds until she turns her back on me. Both of our hearts are beating so fast from a lot of emotions. Santana still hasn't calm down and she's facing the front door with her back towards me. I place a hand in front of my face for a second and think. _What did I get myself into?_

Santana faces me again after a moment with her hands resting on her waist. She's glaring at me with glassy eyes and I can see that she's breathing really hard. Santana's thinking, I know it. She's thinking of the right words to say to me. The brunette looks at the floor for a moment then back at me, still maintaining her stance. I fear for the worst.

"B-Britt, I- I-I can't do this anymore." Santana tells me so softly that it barely broke our silence.

"S-San.." I slowly approach her.

"I-I can't deal with this anymore."

"N-no! Please. Please d-don't say that." I say, the break in my voice apparent.

"You know what's funny?" She sarcastically chuckles. "I came here to fix things with you. That maybe we could talk things over then forget all the bad stuff that happened so we could move forward."

Her words stung me hard. If only I had thanked and sent Laura away after she returned my books then this wouldn't have happened. If only I didn't let her in my apartment and offered her coffee then this wouldn't have happened. If only I hadn't. If only I waited for Santana.

"B-baby, no.. P-please don't do this. It's all just a b-big misunderstanding." I begged and try to touch her. Tears are pooling at the back of my eyes and I'm trying hard not to cry.

"I-I'm sorry. I c-can't do this." Santana mutters and does something that broke my heart even more.

Santana took off the diamond pendant I gave to her. She grabs my right hand and places it on my palm then closes my knuckles.

_No.. No.. No.._

The brunette is trying hard not to cry right now, I can see it as she's staring right through me. She takes a step back and proceeds to walk away from me while I stood here, gaping at what just occurred.

I watched her as she walked out and it felt as if I'm letting her walk out of my life. I look at the pendant in my hand and I suddenly feel like I'm about to have a panic attack. The tears I'd been trying hard to contain a while ago are now streaming on my face. The mixed feelings of anger, sadness, and a lot in between have all come to a head. The tension and frustration in our relationship for the past few weeks has come to a close and I let her end it.

I can't do that. I won't let her. I'm gonna fight for her.

I wipe away the tears and shove the pendant in my pocket then proceed to run out of my apartment to try and catch up with her. I even forgot to shut the door behind me. I ran as fast as I could to the elevator only to see that it would take a little while for it to come back up, so I say to hell with it and take the stairs instead. I send a quick thanks to my parents for giving me long legs because I basically skipped every other step in record time, only almost tripping once or twice before I got to the lobby and see Santana missing from sight.

I walk a little and see a group of drenched college girls entering the building. They must have sensed my dilemma or I probably look like someone from American Horror Story since they're all looking at me funny. It took me a while to actually notice what they meant. It was only when they mumbled something that I didn't understand and see them pointing outside that I got it. I replied with a barely audible "Thanks" and run outside.

I didn't mind the still heavy rain as soon as I exited my building. I looked at my left first and see no one. When I turned my attention to my right, I saw a figure moving. I walk towards the direction and squint my eyes to see Santana's familiar Audi from afar. I hastily move and try to catch up with the figure who's moving towards it. When I got close enough, I see a drenched Santana having a hard time with her keys and in opening the door to her car because of the rain. I thought that this was a sign from the Relationship Gods.

I walk towards Santana and spin her around as soon as I reach her. I notice the shock on her face but the look in her eyes instantly softens as soon as she registered that it's me. I didn't have a plan nor did I make up some words as I went charging towards her awhile ago.

So, I just kissed her. Under the rain.

As cliché as it sounds, I did. I hold her tight by the waist with one arm and cup her face with my other hand as I hold her close to me and deepen the kiss. At first, she tried to push me away but eventually stopped when she knew that she's helpless against me. In every way there is.

When we pulled apart after a moment, I see that she's looking at me with the saddest eyes I've ever seen. I hurt Santana. I hurt her so bad that I don't know if I'll ever be able to fix things between us.

"D-don't leave me, San. You're the l-love of my life. I don't know what I'd do without you!" I plead and she only stares at me with those sad eyes.

"Britt, you have to go back, you'll get sick!" Santana shouts and I was only barely able to catch it with the rain making it hard for us to hear each other.

"I'm sorry! For what happened and for everything! It was on me, I never should have let her in! I never should have focused on studying so much at the risk of losing you! Please forgive me!" I shout and barely heard myself as I begged her again.

It got me worried when she didn't bulge nor reacted. So, in a fit of desperation, I grabbed both of her hands and kneeled on both knees.

I kneeled in front of her. Under the freaking rain.

I'm looking at her and she's too shocked to probably register what's happening right now but I've never seen her eyes so wide and her mouth wide open like this. I didn't mind that I was in shorts and my knees would probably get a few bruises later or be absolutely sore. I don't care about anything but Santana right now.

"Britt, stand up!"

I shake my head. "I won't until you forgive me!"

"Britt, please!" I sense the hoarseness in her voice.

"I love you, Santana! I'll do a-anything and everything you want just d-don't leave me. You m-mean everything to me. I can't l-lose you! Please!"

We stayed like that for a few more seconds just looking back at each other. And only when she held me on both shoulders and motion for me to stand up that I finally obliged.

"S-Santana, p-please don't go! Just give me another chance!" I tell her as loud as I can just so she can hear how desperate and serious I am.

Santana looked down and stayed silent. She's thinking again. I've never been more anxious in my life for someone to forgive me.

"I.. I-I need to think, Britt. I n-need some time and space to think things over between us. Please. J-Just give me this one."

Her words hit me like a stone. But it's not a no, at least. It gave me the hope that she'd relent and we could have another chance. I'm hoping. Terribly hoping. I sigh deeply and bite my lip. I look into her eyes once again as I feel my eyes stinging, maybe from crying too much in this rain. The rain is doing a good job in disguising both of our tears but it can't hide the emotions between us. A bunch of incoherent words struck my thoughts, unsure of how to reply.

I settled on giving her a soft smile and nodding because she deserves it. I'm giving Santana what she wants because that's the best thing to do. That's what she would do were the roles have been reversed. Because Santana's like that. Maybe this is what we need. Time and space. The brunette gives me a sympathetic smile and I can tell she's crying but the rain is covering her tears. She turns her back towards me as she opens the door to her car and gets in shortly after. I can feel that Santana gave one last look. A hopeful look.

I watched as Santana drove away from me. I'm still standing on the pavement as I followed her car with my eyes until I could no longer see it. I walk back to my building hugging myself.

As soon as I entered my apartment again, I hurriedly discarded my wet clothes and settled on a long, hot shower. When I finished, I pulled out Santana's favorite oversized Harvard hoodie from my closet and wore it. I fished the pendant out of my drenched shorts and stared at it for a minute before I decided to wear it. I got into my bed and instantly felt extremely heavy, emotionally and physically, from tonight's events.

I cried my heart out as I hold Santana's favorite pillow in my bed. I fell asleep shortly after with Santana's scent as the last thing that registered in my mind.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

Brittany and I haven't talked to each other for a few days now since that night. And it's killing me.

We try to be civil with each other but she kept her word about maintaining a little distance from me and being patient about giving me time to think things through. She's respecting my decision and has been nothing but patient. I know it's taking her all she has to give me what I want and that alone is making me reconsider things between us.

Thankfully, our friends aren't being invasive of our privacy or even asked about what happened. They just do the occasional smile but the looks they're giving each other isn't exactly that subtle. Quinn and Rachel are doing the same as well. Whenever I'm with them, they never make it seem that they're interested in knowing what's happening even if I know deep inside that the curiosity is killing them.

I haven't seen Laura Fucking Castle since that night. Bitch better hide because my homicidal tendencies reaches full potential when she's around. And with what just happened? Oh boy. I might just turn into a serial killer when I see her again.

It's a Sunday. I just finished with my afternoon swim in the Olympic-sized pool back at campus and now walking towards my apartment. As soon as I open my door, I instantly feel that something is amiss. I quietly shut the door behind me and look around a little.

The pillows on my couch have been organized. The dishes on my sink aren't there anymore. I think I even see food on my dining table. The whole apartment looks amazingly clean. It even smells like vanilla too.

I settle my sports bag on the kitchen counter then inspect my place from the kitchen. Someone's definitely inside my apartment. I grab a half-full tequila bottle as a form of self defense from the open cupboard under the counter and proceed to quietly walk towards the hall to my room. I hold the bottle to my shoulder and prepare myself to swing it anytime it's needed. I decide to check Quinn's former room first. So, I kick the door with my foot and look around to see no one inside.

"Selena, what the hell are you doing? You look like an idiot from here."

I jump upon hearing a familiar voice coming from the living room. I turn to face the mystery person and see Grams, in a black ruffled dress looking as elegant as ever, with both hands resting on her waist and raising an eyebrow at me.

"Grams! You scared me!" I shout and relax my shoulders upon seeing her. I fix my tank top and denim shorts since I know how she is with clothes and everything. I proceed to walk over towards her as I place the bottle on the counter.

"Ah.. In my time they would say, "Sorry, I didn't mean to." But in your generation they would go with "No shit, Sherlock."

I disregard her statement and blink a couple of times. "How did you get in? Why are you here? And where did you come from?" I ramble.

Grams sighs. "You ask more questions than an audience who just finished watching Inception." She mutters nonchalantly and sits by the dining table. She motions for me to sit as well, as if she owns the place.

"One, I stole your key from last Christmas and had it copied. Two, I thought that visiting you would be more interesting that going over to my own grandchild's place but I'll go there later too, doncha worry." Grams winks at me.

"I came from your veranda. I've been watching you since you came in, hoping you'd do something stupid. I hit the jackpot and even recorded it in my phone. Brianna taught me how. She even hooked me up on Monogram for my travels." Grams grins widely and excitedly shows me her phone with her profile picture scrawled at the screen.

"It's Instagram, Grams. Monogram is a brand for appliances."

"Oh. That must be why some kid looked at me funnily the other day and told me 'Why are you posting it on your fridge?' when I told him it's for my Monogram. Stupid kid." Grams shrugs.

I sigh at the silliness of all this but can't help but chuckle inwardly since I missed her antics and well, I missed Grams but don't tell her that.

"So, you came to visit Brittany and I. That's it?"

"And the two lovebirds who just moved in together." Grams takes a sip of her coffee first. "Actually, I'm just passing by. I have to go to this wretched conference thing for business in Boston tomorrow morning. So, I decided to take an earlier flight from Chicago to see you girls. I went directly here upon arriving an hour ago. You see, I've missed you dear." She mutters with the last part intended to be some kind of a joke or something.

"By all means, sit down. I bought croissants and muffins for us." Grams motions for me to the seat in front of her. In my own damn home.

I sit as she grabs a croissant and muffin then sets it on the plate in front of me.

"I was actually expecting that you and my granddaughter were shacked up by now. I was even hoping that the both of you weren't getting it on when I opened the door. I mean, Naked Sundays are the best, you know." Grams laughs at her own statement and I dumbly look at her as I take a bite of my muffin. "But to my surprise, no one's home and it's so filthy that I had to go out to your veranda to take a breath."

"So, you cleaned my apartment?" My eyes widen at the prospect that this woman who looks similarly and could easily pass off as Meryl Streep, would be cleaning my place.

Grams only stared at me then laughed heartily. Like, not the type that you'll be offended that she's laughing at your face but the you-said-something-so-ridiculous-I-just-had-to-laugh type. "Dear, I've never even cleaned my own room my entire life. I'm no Mary Poppins but you could keep the dream alive. I called the cleaning services for a rush job. The bill's on you though. Just kidding!" Grams exclaims and laughs again. I sigh and resorted to eating my muffin again until she stopped laughing.

"So, where is my granddaughter? Shouldn't she be here right now or something since there's no class?"

I pause while in the process of biting my croissant. There's no sense in denying anything so might as well come clean. "I-it's kind of complicated."

Grams raises an eyebrow at me. "Did you girls break up or something?"

"Something." I say and relax in my seat. "You can call it a rough patch."

Grams only stares at me and doesn't say anything as we eat for awhile. Brittany clouds my thoughts again and I'm trying hard not to think of her that much after what happened. But of course, that's unbelievably impossible to do. Maybe it was anger or something else but I can't help but think that I somehow overreacted with everything.

"So, who's the bitch?" Grams quips nonchalantly.

I almost choke on my food and cough a little as I look back at her with surprise. "How'd you-"

"Come on, Santana. I've lived for more than half a decade. I've seen a lot of those looks you're giving me from people I've known over the years." Grams smirks.

I squint my eyes at her. "Wait, how old are you aga-"

"Spill it!" Grams exclaims.

"Okay, okay!" I reply and proceed to give her the basic rundown and summary of what happened between Brittany and I for the last month or so. After a few minutes of explaining to her everything and some mundane comments and questions that I answered, I've finally finished telling her the story. Like fifteen minutes later than when I was supposed to.

"So, this girl that we're talking about is head over heels for Brittany and has been relentlessly pursuing her for some time now. Then you caught the girl kissing my grandchild in all her half-naked glory at Brittany's apartment?" Grams asks, squinting her eyes at me. I nod in response. "Well, isn't my granddaughter such a hot commodity." The woman muses.

I roll my eyes. "You aren't supposed to be amused, Grams."

"I'm not." Grams tells me with a wink. "So, wait.." She thinks for a moment. "This Laura Fucking Castle that you're saying came from Yale Law, right?" I nod again.

"And this is the same Castle who came from the Weasley family of lawyers?"

My ears perk up and I look at Grams curiously. "Yeah, actually. But I never told you she's a redhead. How'd yo-"

Grams laughs. "Oh, dear. You don't have to tell me. I know the Castles."

I raise an eyebrow and shift in my chair a little. "Wait. How?"

"Let's just say that being such a famous and glamorous socialite like me has its perks in the gossip mill back in New York." She smugly declares.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how you're related to someone who's as humble and sweet as Brittany, Grams." I jest with a smirk and it's her turn to roll her eyes at me now.

"So, care to tell me what you know? Like why Gingervitas transferred to Harvard and spread her evilness upon the people of Cambridge by basically bringing Hell with her here?" I add nonchalantly.

Grams smirks then laughs again. Seriously, this woman doesn't run out of things to laugh and mock about. "Ron Weasley didn't _just_ transfer, Selena."

My face scrunched in confusion and I squint my eyes at her. "What do you mean?"

Grams smirks even wider. "You know, coffee really is too mainstream for an afternoon snack." She puts her coffee cup back on the table. "Now, where did you put the tequila?"

"But it's only three in the afternoon."

"Dear, if you're old and as loaded as me, you can drink whenever you damn well like. Now go get it and grab some glasses for us while you're at it." She exclaims and I obliged to her demand. The not-so-old woman pours us both a drink and we take it almost instantly before she turns her attention back at me.

"Now, better get comfortable in your seat because shit's about to get real. Or whatever it is that you kids say nowadays." Grams smirks and I excitedly do as she says.

"Oh, and I'm staying over for the night. My luggages are in the other room. I even had them change the sheets with one of mine. Hope you don't mind." Grams grins as she pours us another round of tequila.

* * *

**All will be well and revealed soon. Comeuppance is coming for the bitch.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you for all your reviews! Please keep on reviewing! Only 3 more chapters to go before LoA is done :)**

**I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. **

**ENJOY!**

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

**_Ding! Ding! Ding!_**

Oh God. My head fucking hurts like a bitch.

Grams and I drank almost two bottles of tequila last night and I'm way past hangover. I don't even know how I got to my bedroom. Last thing I remember was singing and dancing along to Vogue with Grams. This is a whole other level. I knew it was a good call to study in advance for Monday.. Wait.. It's Monday today. Fuck!

I look at my alarm and turn it off to see that it's 7am already. I groan out loud because 1) it's too fucking early, 2) this hangover is killing me, and 3) I didn't set my alarm clock so why the hell would it ring so early in the morning?!

I slowly get up from my bed, really slowly, then grabbed my towel on the way to my bathroom for a hot shower. We don't have Admin Law today because Miss Wright's in Boston for a case she's handling. Because of this, Mami decided to move our class to an earlier time since she has to go back immediately to New York for a client meeting.

Brittany volunteered to take my mother to the airport after class today since I have a reading group meeting after Evidence with Kurt then Quinn has this seminar thing with Rachel. Yeah, we talked about it briefly the other day when she mentioned that Mami called her to ask how I was. I am led to believe that my own mother loves my girlfriend.. Err.. Brittany more than me. Well, technically she's still my girlfriend. Yeah. I'd like to think.

I got out of the shower feeling slightly better and alert. I'm not really in the mood to dress up so I settle in an oversized gray Harvard Law hoodie, dark skinny jeans, and loafers then applied a little make up to hide how badly I look with this hangover. I grabbed all the materials I need for class and stuff it in my shoulder bag then snatched my shades on the way out to my bedroom door.

As soon as I open it, I'm greeted by the aroma of breakfast food. I look towards the dining area and notice food on the table. I see Grams, looking ready to go in a white dress and without a trace of a hangover, reading the newspaper by the dining table. I approach her and settle my things on the kitchen counter first.

"You look like shit, Selena." Grams mutters upon looking at me through her reading glasses.

"Why do you still look great after drinking that much alcohol last night? Shouldn't you have a hangover too?"

"The last time I had a hangover was when you probably lost your virginity, dear. And you know I always look great. I wouldn't be caught dead looking like you right now." Grams smirks.

I sigh and settle on sitting across from her. "You're like Quinn, only worse, Grams."

"Where do you think she got the sass from, dear?"

I roll my eyes and turn my attention to the food in front of us. I see hash browns, bacon, grilled cheese, eggs, and burnt toasts.

"Did you cook these?" I say, a bit surprised.

"Yes, honey. I may not know how to clean but I am still a grandma. So, there's the occasional baking and food galore stuff. Now, dig in." Grams mutters nonchalantly.

"W-Wow. Okay. Thanks Grams." I reply with a slight chuckle.

We settle in a minute of silence as I ate and Grams drank her coffee while reading the paper. It was only after a moment that she turned her attention to me and grinned.

"Is it good?" She exclaims, referring to the food. I nod in agreement while drinking some water. There were a couple of overcooked bacon and eggs but it's still good. "Great. Because I didn't cook that."

I almost spit out the water in front of her face in surprise. Grams laughs at me. "Dear, I couldn't cook to save my life."

"Then who did?"

"Brittany." Grams tells me with a smirk before taking a sip of her coffee while I'm left scrunching my eyebrows.

"W-What? But she d-doesn't know how to cook. And wait.. she was here?"

Grams sighs. "Obviously, dear. Britty came over last night after I called her to carry you to your bedroom when you passed out drunk by the couch. She even stayed over to make sure you'll be okay when you wake up or something. Then, my granddaughter made breakfast for you before a morning run because she knows how cranky you can be in the morning when you drink too much. Seriously, Selena. You were crying because you discovered that Hello Kitty is a boy. I even have a video of it." Grams laughs.

"Britty also secretly told me that Quinn and Rachel has been teaching her how to cook basic breakfast like this behind your back over these past few weeks because she knows how much you love breakfast. Don't tell her I told you though." She adds.

Wide eyes. Open mouth. I look pretty stupid right now because I'm shocked. Totally. I didn't even know she can cook other than grilled cheese before today. The teaching part makes sense though because lately Britt's been asking about a few cooking tips from Quinn and she watches over my shoulders whenever I prepare food for us.

"She runs?" I say, the only thing that came up in my mind.

The older Pierce nods. "Brittany does that when she has a lot on her mind. Not like she needs it though. I mean, have you seen her? Of course you have. Countless times already, I bet." Grams winks at me again and I stare at her in disbelief.

"Her metabolism is key to the happiness of women everywhere. My granddaughter even has abs! You know that, of course." She wriggles her eyebrows at me. "I had those when I was young though. Anyway, you get the picture."

"B-But why didn't she wake me up?"

"She doesn't want to. She just set up your alarm clock so you won't be late for class today."

Information overload. Everything I've been hearing is overwhelming me right now. I know Brittany and it amazes me to think that she did all of that for me. I could cry.

"My granddaughter loves you very much, Selena." Grams mutters with a tight lipped smile. "I know you girls are going through a rough patch right now but maybe you should consider talking to her. I can see that it's killing you both. I mean, she even learned how to cook. You could imagine my panic awhile ago when I saw her cooking in the kitchen! I was literally screaming like a madwoman and thought about calling the fire department in advance! Oh, the trauma of the two-day pancake incident!"

I sigh and play with my bacon as I think. "D-Do you think so?"

Grams nods."Yes. Brittany might have been at fault to some degree but it doesn't change the fact that she loves you and is willing to do anything for you if you'll give her another chance."

"S-she told you that?"

"No. My granddaughter really isn't the type who opens up. She didn't have to tell me anything. It's pure observation."

I look down and contemplated what Grams just said. Maybe I should talk to her. I don't know. I feel like we need to have a discussion over everything but is it really the right time now? I sigh deeply again and settled on not replying. I'll make a decision later when I'm feeling much normal without the hangover.

"I'll think about it. Maybe stroll around Harvard Yard after my meeting to clear up my thoughts."

She nods. "I made the toast if it makes you feel any better." Grams toothily grins.

I look at the toast and see that it's burnt as hell with some lines and creases on it that reminded me of Omar from the Wire. I look back at her with a faux grin. "Looks nice, Grams."

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

It's Monday. Which also means that it's been a week since Santana and I had the biggest fight we've been in since we got together.

I haven't been productive this past week. I think all I did was sleep or watch Disney movies nonstop on Netflix with my buddies, Ben &amp; Jerry. I studied every now and then. I even went on a run for the first time in years this morning. Just anything that would keep me from thinking about Santana because if I did, it would be extremely hard for me to control myself from not calling her or rushing to go to her place.

This time and space crap has been killing me. I miss talking to Santana. Cuddling with her. Laughing like crazy about the corniest jokes ever. Even simply watching her cook. Right now, Santana only sends me sympathetic smiles which feels like a stab through the heart whenever we're in class. It just doesn't feel right like this. I'm trying to be civil but all that I'd want right now is to get this thing over with and put everything in the past. I'm trying to be patient but I feel myself starting to crack. I'm trying to put some distance between us but it only makes me want to do the opposite.

By the way, Grams was in town too. She surprised me by calling last night to come over and carry Santana to her room because she passed out drinking. How about that? She didn't have to ask me twice though. I went there and after taking care of Santana, Grams talked me into staying for the night. In her words, just in case Santana wakes up and vomits. We had a little talk over a late dinner and she told me that San told her all about our situation right now.

My grandmother urged me to fix things with the brunette and told me, in her own words again, that she's grown fond of Santana and thinks that she and I are a good match. That it would break her heart if we decide to go our separate ways but of course, she'll support our decision in the end if it can't be mended anymore. It kinda surprised me since Grams isn't usually the sappy type but it just proved that she's the best grandmother in the world.

Before I went on my run though, I cooked breakfast for them, mainly Santana. I've been secretly getting some lessons from Quinn and Rachel since a few weeks ago so I can surprise Santana without her worrying about me burning down her apartment. Anyway, after having a quick breakfast with Grams, we said our goodbyes and I went on my run then back home to get ready for class.

So, here I am, waiting for Maribel to pack up her things since Evidence just ended. Quinn told me earlier on that Rachel has to attend this lecture about Animal Law, so she decided to tag along. Or more like forced to. About Santana, I heard from Kurt that they have a reading group meeting later of some sort. The brunette was even late for class awhile ago, but she gave me this all-knowing look that I'm still trying to decipher.

So, yeah. It's just me right now. I'm semi-nervous because I've never been alone like this with Maribel before. You know, the whole mother-daughter bonding thing with each other. One on one with the great and famous Maribel Lopez. You can't blame me for feeling a bit nervous if your future mother-in-law is someone as high up on the ladder as her. I mean, I hope she will be. That is, if Santana and I get to fix our problems. God, why the hell am I taking to myself like this?

"Brittany! Hello, my dear. Looks like it's just you and me today." Maribel happily exclaims upon fixing her stuff.

"Uh.. Yeah. I-"

"Come on now. Don't be nervous. Take it as a mother-daughter bonding time. Future mother-in-law that is." Mama Lopez smirks then throws a not-so-subtle wink at me as she anchors her arms on mine and dragged me out of the classroom.

I gulped so heavily I thought I ingested my own tonsils.

Maribel and I are both craving for Pepperoni pizza today.

So, we went to this pizza place my friends and I frequent to, just a little south of Harvard. It wasn't long until our pizza was served and we got to talking.

"How is my daughter?" Maribel asks and is giving me a look which I think is that of worry. I remember that the last time they had interaction was probably when Santana had a failed recitation. But does she know about our problems?

"She's pulling her act together, I think. Quinn talked to her about it." I say as I take a bite of my pizza.

Maribel nods. "How about you, dear? Have you and Santana talk already?" I give her a curious look and she only chuckles in reply. "I know my daughter well, Mija. And the look she gave me is something unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. She looked heartbroken, to put it simply."

I bite my lip and swallow the food in my mouth. "We talked already and we agreed on some space right now."

Maribel looked genuinely surprised. "Oh no. Did you girls break up?"

"No." I pause. "I mean, I don't know. I don't know for sure."

"That makes me sad, Mija." Maribel mutters. I look at her and she's semi-pouting just like Santana does when her favorite contestant in a reality show goes home. "Do you have any plans about what to do?"

"I don't know, Maribel." I sigh and lean back on my chair. "I'll be more than happy to talk to her right now but I told myself that I'm respecting her decision about giving her some time." I pause, trying to conjure the right words.

"I went over to her apartment last night because Grams and her drank so much that she passed out. I took care of her and even stayed beside her the whole night, just in case she feels like throwing up. I made her breakfast because I know how she is without food in the morning. I know I'm probably breaking my promise but I can't keep myself away from her anymore for much longer." I end with a deep sigh.

"That's normal." Maribel smiles. "Couples go through that whole thing every now and then. Now, I don't know what happened but I'm hoping that you girls fix it. I'll be more heartbroken than the both of you if that happens."

I smile a little. "I'll try my best, Maribel."

"This pizza is amazing, Miss Brittany!" Gergerpal exclaims beside us. I even forgot he was here all along.

I chuckle. "It is, Pal."

"I know my daughter, Brittany. Bonnie told me everything that happened since Santana won't. And I can tell that she was hurt badly by it even if that Castle girl was the perpetrator. When Santana's hurt and confused like that, her walls come up and everything you try to tell her will only fall on deaf ears. This distance and time that you girls are up to might be a good thing." Maribel tells me and rubs my shoulder for comfort.

"Richard and I love you like our own daughter already, Mija. We can't imagine Santana with anyone else. We've never seen her so happy and content in life. You made her want to be a better person. Thank you for helping her mature into a grown woman and guiding her whenever we're not around, Brittany." The older Lopez muses and squeezes my hand.

"You're welcome, Maribel. That means a lot to me and I hope you know that I feel the same way about your family." I return the smile and she nods.

"I like you too, Miss Brittany. Santana is nicer now, no?" Gergerpal exclaims and we all laugh at his statement.

"What's your plan after lunch, Mija?"

"I don't know. Walk around Harvard Yard, I guess."

* * *

After lunch, we said our goodbyes and I told Pal to just drop me off at the Yard, since I feel like walking to think of a few stuff. I proceed to walk with no apparent destination, just looking around at random students enjoying today's breezy weather and the company they have. I eventually got tired and decided to sit under a tree to relax. It's funny because this is the same tree where Santana and I first met. Yeah, Santana and- Wait.. Is that Santana walking towards here?

It is Santana!

She's mindlessly walking towards my direction without noticing me yet and it was only when she was a few feet away that she turned her attention to me and our eyes locked. I immediately stand up when she was close enough.

"San.."

"Britt.."

We're staring at one another, just taking each other in before I realize that we're not really saying anything and merely staring at the other only.

"I- Uh.. Yeah. Sorry, I didn't expect you to be h-here. I'll just go-" I stutter and proceed to collect my stuff from the grass.

"No! Uhmm.. I'm glad you're here, actually. Can we talk?" Santana exclaims, with a hopeful glint in her eyes. Or maybe I'm just imagining stuff.

"O-Oh. Sure." I reply and we proceed to sit beside each other under the tree. A minute passed and I see Santana looking down at the ground and playing with her nails, thinking about what to say.

"S-So, you took care of me and made breakfast too. You didn't have to. Thank you for that." Santana finally says.

"Uh.. It's no biggie."

"Grams told me that you decided to stay over last night too. So, that's cool."

My eyebrows scrunch in confusion. "No, San. She suggested that I stay just in case you get sick or something."

"What? She told me otherwise after telling me that you made breakfast for me."

"That's true. I really wanted to but I was scared that you might think I'm breaking my promise with the space and time thing. Grams was the one who finally made me do it since she said that she was "starving".

We look at each other for a second then it all clicked. "Grams." We say in unison and laugh at being outwitted by the older Pierce. "That sly woman." Santana adds and we chuckle some more for a while until we settle in another silence. Suddenly, the brunette turns her attention to me.

"Look, Britt. I'm just gonna say whatever feels right. So, here it goes.." Santana takes a deep breath first before looking back at me. "You hurt me. You hurt me real bad with what happened. I know it's not your fault but I can't help myself feel this way, you know. Maybe I'm overwhelmed about everything but the bottom line is I felt the you were unfair to me on some degree and what I saw back at your apartment that night just sealed the deal for me."

I felt my breath hitch at her words and fear that this sounds like a breakup to me. "I know, San. I'm sorry.. I'm sorry for everything that I did to you, for all those hurtful stuff I said, for not trusting you enough, and for being unfair."

"I know you are, Britt." Santana gives me a sympathetic smile. "I have my faults too. I'm sorry for everything as well."

We resorted to being silent again for a few minutes, looking at each other every now and then.

"So, what happens now? I-Is this the end for us?" I say, afraid of the response I'll be getting.

Santana didn't answer just yet. Instead, she looks around first at the random students laughing and talking in front of us. "The o-other night. Under the rain. Did you m-mean all those things you said?"

"Of course, San. I still mean them until now."

She sighs and smiles softly at me. "D-Do you love me, Britt?"

I stare at her glassy eyes and see a certain kind of fear behind them. "I do, baby. More than I've loved anyone in my life."

Santana smiles and leans closer to me. "I don't want to break up, Britt. I can't bear that. And if it's all right, maybe we could give us another chance? Let the past stuff be a lesson for us. I really want to work it out with you, if that's okay."

I grinned. So wide that I probably broke my jaw or something. I didn't reply and just closed the gap between us as I kissed her deeply. How I missed these lips. Santana's lips. Lips that are mine. I probably kissed her more than I should but I really couldn't care less about other people staring at us.

When we broke apart, Santana smiled widely again. "So, I take that as a yes?"

I chuckle, almost close to tears. Tears of joy, that is. I nod profusely and pull her close to me as I kiss her tenderly again before we talked some more about a few stuff. We discussed everything thoroughly and how we can fix things. From our lack of time for each other, petty fights, insecurities, trust, and even Laura. We talked so much that we didn't realize hours had passed by already. So, San and I agreed to leave and grab a snack.

"You do know that this is where we first met, right?" Santana mutters as she stands up.

"Yeah. You were snoring and covered with leaves when I saw you. Thanks for reminding me." I jest and she playfully rolls her eyes at me as she helps me up.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go, stalker!" Santana winks at me and grabs my hand to intertwine them with hers as we walk out of Harvard Yard.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

"Tell me why! Ain't nothing but a heartache. Tell me why! Ain't nothing but a mistake. Tell me why. I never wanna hear you say, I want it that way!"

I sing my heart out as I drive to tonight's Delta Gamma party, complete with the hand waving and dramatic dance movements. Brittany's back at my place, sleeping after going at it for countless times in the sack. _Oh yeah. Finally! _I'm kinda sleepy and tired too but I told her that I'll just have to do something important and will be right back with her favorite Chinese takeout for her midnight snack.

I'm relieved and just so jubilant that Brittany and I have finally talked about everything, apologized for the things we've done, and are officially back on again after our little talk at the Yard awhile ago. It's about damn time because I don't think I could keep myself sane for another week with us being like that. We've made up, had make up sex lots of times for the past few hours, I even had a shower with Brittany before I went on my merry way, and I'm fed. I'm just really happy. That's the bottom line.

Anyway, I have a specific mission right now after talking with Grams and finally knowing the true nature of Castle's "transfer".

_"So, tell me Grams, why did she transfer?"_

_"I told you, JLo. She didn't transfer. Ginny Weasley was expelled."_

_I blink more than I should have and my eyes were so wide from shock. "C-Castle was expelled?! How?"_

_"It was during the Fall Term if I'm not mistaken. It was after their exams and a mole confessed to cheating on the exams. Fire Ballz here was named as a member of an online cheating ring composed of 11 students. Apparently, she stole and somehow got a hold of every exam they were having. They had solid evidence against her."_

_"What?! How?!"_

_"I would tell you if I knew, dear. Anyway, it was quite a scandal back in Yale Law but since Tomato Head was a Castle, her parents used their connections and had the charges dropped against her for some reason. To the point that Laura's name wasn't even included in the official list of cheaters." Grams pauses._

_"The Weasleys were quite scandalized by this and tried hard to hide the news. They eventually settled on transferring Castle to Harvard, far enough to evade gossips and everything to do with what happened. I think it almost got to the point that they thought of disinheriting her for the simple reason that their name is on the line, can you believe that?"_

_So, that's why she never talks about her family and the reason she transferred. That bitch._

_"Why didn't the others chase her or something?"_

_"Santana, she's just one piece of the puzzle and her family's a pretty big enemy to go against with. Castle was lucky enough to even get away from all of it unlike the others."_

_"So, no one in Harvard knows the story? That's pretty hard to believe."_

_"It's not, actually. Like I told you, her name wasn't on the list and they wouldn't dare go against Castle. Plus, they don't have anything to substantiate their claims at all. Only the Dean and the school board knows about her being included on the list."_

_"And how did you come across this?"_

_"I used to date the Dean. Ah.. good 'ol Fred."_

_I think about everything for a second. This is serious. Castle's pretty fucked up._

I arrive at the party and park in front of the house, even if it's not allowed. _What? I'm Santana Lopez_. I check myself in the rearview mirror one last time before going down, wearing Brittany's favorite gray Princeton hoodie, black pants, and flat shoes. As soon as I enter the front door, a bunch of people greeted me with shots which I took almost simultaneously. I send a silent thank you to Grams for teaching me how to take shots like a pro, making me look like a badass in front of these people. I looked around until I got to the poolside of the house where I saw some of my friends.

"S! What are you doing here? I thought you're with Brittany?" Quinn exclaims upon seeing me.

"Oh, I am. I'm just looking for someone." I say nonchalantly as I survey the room.

"Hey, Santana! We're so glad you girls are finally back together!" Kurt cries out.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks Hummel." I mutter then my eyes rests on the reason why I'm here.

Laura Fucking Castle.

I smirk to myself and feel my friends follow my line of sight and gasp upon realizing the situation. I proceed to walk slowly and approach her.

"No! Don't!" I hear Tina behind me exclaim but I disregard her.

I reach the redhead and she only noticed that I was behind her when the girl she was trying to pick up looked at me. Then, the bitch turned and I instantly see a degree of fear in her eyes.

"Lopez! How the mighty hath fallen, huh?" Castle smirks, trying to look confident.

"I don't know. You'll have to ask yourself about that." I smirk back and see her raise an eyebrow at me.

"You know, you're kinda funny. Did you come to get up on this?" Castle points to herself. "I mean, Brittany obviously did so I'm guessing you do too."

I laugh at her remark and capture the attention of some people. "I think you're delusional, Fire Crotch." I walk closer towards her. "Plus, Brittany's at my apartment, sleeping with a damn smile on her face."

She scrunch her face in confusion. "Didn't you guys broke up?"

"You certainly hope we did. But we're better than that. And I have much better game than someone who tries to force herself, half-naked on a girl who's not even remotely interested."

Castle's clenches her fists. "What? Are you going to hit me? Come on, give me your worst shot!" I challenge her. "By the time you hit me, your secret will be all over campus."

My words instantly instilled fear upon her. She literally froze and her eyes widened at me. "I-I don't k-know what you're talking about, Lopez." The redhead whispers.

"Sure, you do. Do you really think that I'd believe that you just 'transferred'?" I cross my arms and raise an eyebrow at her.

"N-No. You c-can't possibly-"

"Oh, it's more than possible. Actually, I'm gonna use it as leverage." I lean close to her and instantly notice that she once again reeks of alcohol. "I know your secret, you fucking cheater."

I see her visibly shudder and just shocked at the turn of events. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

I take a step back and smirk. "Oh, stop pretending that you don't know what I'm talking about, Red Jub." Castle only stares at me looking all nervous. "I know that you're part of that cheating ring. What? Exams are too hard for you?"

"You don't know the pressure I was in, Lopez! I had to live up to my family name and be on top! I have to or my family would disinherit me!" She shouts a little too loud that some spectators' attention are piqued by our conversation.

"That's bullshit! Why can't you just study like everyone else? Be fair and square with everyone."

"You don't understand, okay?" She shouts. "Tell me, what do you want in exchange for silence? How much do you want?" Castle whispers.

"I don't need your money, Ginger Snap. That would be like giving me spare change." I wave my hand in disregard. "But I'd want for you to never approach Brittany, me, and my friends again. Ever. Don't you even try to start a conversation with any of us. And I mean it. I'm deathly serious about this."

I take a step towards her and she cowers in fear. "If I see you so much as stare at Brittany for more than a second, your little secret will be out in an instant. But if you comply, I'll be more than happy to forget that I knew a thing. If I were you, I'd transfer because things like this can only be hidden for so long. I mean, I found out about it easily, what makes you think the others won't?" I smirk and her face turns red from anger or embarrassment.

"That's about it. Don't come anywhere near or talk to us ever again because you know what's gonna happen. Understand?" I whisper and turn on my heel then proceed to walk away from her.

"S! Behind you!" Quinn exclaims a few feet in front of me with wide eyes, the others bearing the same expression too.

I turn around just in time to avoid a beer bottle thrown by Castle. At first, I was too shocked to react but when I see her running towards my direction and getting ready to punch me, my reflexes worked or something and I beat her to it by throwing a punch first.

I punched her in the face! Fuck, it feels so good to finally do it!

"Ow, fuck!" Laura screams as I see her tumbling to the ground holding her right eye. I look around to see some students cheering at the commotion we're causing. The redhead removes her hand to unveil a reddish-bluish hue around her eye that's going to leave a spot for sure.

A black eye. Jackpot!

"I'm gonna sue you, bitch! I'm gonna see you for everything you're worth!" Laura screams.

"Really? I dare you to that because not only do I have a whole house of witnesses who just saw that you first tried to attack me, this house has security cameras too that can only prove that you tried to hit me first." I challenge. "If I were you, I'd count my money in the bank right now and save a few dollars because if I wanted to, I can sue you for everything you've got because of what you tried to do."

I walk towards her and reached out my hand to help her up. "But I won't. So, why don't you just stick to the agreement that we had."

Castle slaps my hand. "I don't need your help and I never agreed to anything."

"Wait. It just got me curious, but what does Brittany have to do with anything? Is that real? Or just an act?"

Castle sarcastically laughs. "Pierce is Plan B. If I don't make it out of Harvard or my parents are to disinherit me, at least I've got her billions to fall upon."

I glare at her for a second and almost hit her again out of anger. But instead, I shrugged. Brittany wouldn't want me to cause anymore trouble. "Okay. Enjoy the bottom of the food chain, Copper Cock."

I look at her one last time. Castle stands up and walk towards me with a murderous glare. I'm not even scared as I see her approaching. I prepare myself to block out any punches that she might release. It was only that she was a few feet away that Castle suddenly tumbled to the ground looking unconscious without me doing anything. I blink a few times and wondered what just happened.

"She looked like she's out to kill you or something." Quinn mutters massaging her palm with a smirk. Oh, the genius slapper had strike again.

"Oh, god! My jaw! I think it's fucking broken! Who fucking did this? Help me!" Laura cries out and everyone just resorted to look at her before looking back at us.

"She slipped." I tell them with a shrug. As simple as that. And feeling like the Queen of the Underworld or something, everyone just nodded at what I said then continue to do whatever it is that they did before the redhead started causing trouble like nothing happened.

I hover towards Castle. "Listen, Ronald McDonald, pull an act like that again and break any of the stuff we agreed on and you and your story will become so viral that a new infection will be named after you. Do you understand?" I huff and she profusely nods at my words. "Good." I smirk and proceed to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Quinn asks.

"Home. My princess is waiting." I wink at her and she shakes her head in disbelief.

I proceed to get in my car and sing along to another Backstreet Boys song as I drove to Britt's favorite Chinese place to order some takeout for her. When I got home, I see my girlfriend napping on my couch. Girlfriend. Awesome.

"Hey, baby. Food's here." I whisper in her ear as I sit beside her on the couch. I remove the hair from her face and trail a few kisses on her shoulder.

"Mm.. Where did you go, San? What took you so long?" Brittany mumbles as she faces me, still sleepy.

"I just had to take care of a chore, Britt."

"Is it done now?"

I smirk. "Absolutely."

"Cool then. Maybe you could do a chore for me before we eat again." Brittany mutters and gives me a devilish grin as she settles herself on top of my lap wearing just a loose shirt without any underwear at all then ravishes me with kisses.

Life is so freakin' good.

* * *

**Don't forget to review, as usual! I'll be disappearing for a few days but I'll be back before you know it! **


	23. Chapter 23

**I'm back! And we're now down to the last three chapters :(**

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* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

"So, this class' Yawn Jar accumulated.. Hold your breath, guys.." Miss Wright exclaims and we're all waiting on the edge of our seats to know if we passed her challenge. ".. 234 dollars and 60 cents!" She cries out and we all groan.

"Wow, that is a record on its own. I haven't had a class reach that much amount. How could you all yawn that much? And 60 cents? That's a first." Isabelle mutters in disbelief and we all sigh. "But I understand since it's a 9am class."

"40 dollars was given by Miss Lopez. And that's another record for the number of yawns a student has accumulates throughout the semester." She adds and we all turn to semi-glare at Santana who by chance, yawned at the exact moment. We all laugh as she apologized, yet again.

"Anyway, the shelter will be happy with that amount. So, in this regard, I'm still throwing a pizza party and the works since you've all been such great students and everybody in this class did well on the exams yesterday! Now, will someone please help me get them from the lobby?" Everybody instantly cheered when they heard pizza and some people proceeded to follow Miss Wright out of the room.

It's been exactly two weeks since Santana and I got over our rough patch. Anyway, a few things have happened over the past few days.

Santana and I are finally back to normal with our routine. The both of us previously discussed that no matter how busy we are, we should always have an "us" or alone time at least for an hour everyday. Maybe over dinner, which we agreed not to spoil by talking about school stuff or touching our phones, or simply just chatting about anything under the sun. Basically, we made a little routine that's a cycle of: studying, sex, non-literal eating (wink, wink), sleeping, literal eating, studying, then sleeping again. It's a never-ending cycle, really.

We also revived our Friday date night every week since we both don't have class the following day. Of course, all of this can be negated if, and only if, we have a really good reason to do so. Such as exams.

Speaking of exams, we have two more to go. Evidence and Constitutional Law. Evidence would be next week then my ConLaw will take place the week after that. I'm seriously stressed about both courses because, as the upperclassmen said, it would take a lot of praying and studying to pass both subjects under our professors, specially Maribel. The latter is infamous for giving hard exams. So, yeah. Goodluck to us.

By the way, I just had my first good recitation in ConLaw! It happened last Friday and three days after, I'm still on cloud nine. Now that I think about it, the whole scenario is kinda simple, actually. It just so happens that I was prepared enough for class that day.

_"I am busy as hell so don't waste my time if none of you are ready enough to participate in class. It's already daunting enough to be in the same room with all your mediocrity." July scoffs as she enters our class while typing something on her phone. Her assistant hastily catches up and organizes everything for her._

_Shortly after, Cassie called the first person only to become more pissed because apparently, she didn't like her answer or something. This continued for the next hour and a half. Quinn barely made it out alive. She was actually very lucky, being the only one not be lashed out by July, so far. But the class isn't so lucky now. Three people were called but still failed to answer._

_"What is wrong with you people? All of you should be on Paper Chase-levels of obsession and psychosis in studying the law by now! All of you should have memorized the whole book right now!" Cassie sneers. "My question is quite simple, isn't it? It's even in English! Now, I'm going to repeat it for everyone. One. Last. Time." July grinds her teeth as she crosses her legs and arms. "We've established that Article Five outlines the process for amending the Constitution, right?" We all nod._

_"All I'm asking is for someone to give me the two steps in the amendment process! Why is that so hard?! I've included that in your syllabus! Can someone just please, answer me!"_

_Everyone around me instantly lowers their gazes towards the books in front of them. Some are even whispering to one another, scared out of their wits. It is actually in the syllabus, but apparently nobody saw us going over the intended required readings for today._

_"Taylor Swift."_

_I jump a little from surprise because I thought she called me. I glance at Quinn on my left, assuming that Cassie was calling her by that nickname. I caught Fabray's glance at the same time I looked at her. And now, we probably look like idiots staring at each other._

_"Is this a lesbian thing or something that I should be aware about? Because you'd be wasting my time here if you're not going to answer me." July exclaims and I turn my attention to her and see that she's staring at me._

_Oh. I'm Taylor Swift._

_My eyes widened. Shocked because she hasn't called me since that day I was ordered to get out of class. I slowly stand up and turn my full attention on her._

_"So?" July holds out her hand as if she's asking for something and raises both eyebrows at me in exasperation._

_I clear my throat and try to remember the words. "The two steps are, one, proposals to amend the constitution must be properly adopted. And two, these should be ratified before they change the Constitution." I say without pause. July stares at me with a scrutinizing look._

_"Alright. Discuss the case of Hollingsworth v. Virginia then." July quips as she purses her lips at me with a raised eyebrow._

_I gulp a little more loudly than I should have and nod. You see, what she asks from me isn't supposed to be brought up until next week, as well. I look around and see a couple of people panicking while trying to find their non-existent case briefs of the case. I proceed to discuss the case with ease as well as answering a few questions that were thrown my way. I thank my stars that I decided to go a bit overboard, courtesy of studying like crazy these pasts few nights. I eventually finish reciting the case and sigh deeply. I turn my attention to Cassie and see her slightly smirking at me. That's a first._

_"Not too bad, Blondie." July nods at me as she picks another card._

_I blink a few times. I even subtly pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. But I wasn't. I slowly take my seat as another student takes over a different case and July's mood has seemingly, slightly gotten better. I glance at Quinn on my right and I see her grinning at me and mouths "Good Job."_

_Needlessly to say, it's a good day._

Oh yeah! I wasn't the only one who has redeemed herself. Even Santana had a good day yesterday in Evidence.

_"Lopez." Maribel calls out and we all turn to look at Santana on my right who looks up and calmly stands with her attention all directed in front._

_Maribel nods and proceeds to walk towards the middle. "Alright. Will you kindly tell us what Evidence Tampering is?"_

_Santana smiles a little and nods which makes me know that this is in the bag for her. "Tampering with evidence is an act in which a person conceals, alters, destroys, or falsifies evidence with the intent to interfere with an investigation by law enforcement or a regulatory authority."_

_Maribel nods. "Correct. So, you're saying that the goal of tampering with evidence is to cover up a crime?"_

_"Yes, Ma'am." Santana replies with a smile. And wow, she's so hot right now._

_"How about Spoliation of Evidence?"_

_"It is the reckless, intentional, or negligent withholding of evidence relevant to a legal proceeding."_

_"They seem similar. Is there any difference between them?"_

_"Yes. Tampering with evidence is usually inclined with criminal law whereas Spoliation of evidence is usually the civil law version of the same concept. The two are closely related concepts and an act of ruining or destroying evidence may sometimes be considered both spoliation of evidence and evidence tampering. Qualification is intended to distinguish." Santana exclaims confidently._

_I turn my attention to Maribel who's smirking right now at Santana. "I see you've studied well."_

_Santana only shrugs then gives a subtle wink directed at me. Oh man, I think my panties just dropped._

_"Well, then. Kindly discuss both concepts more thoroughly and if you can provide any jurisprudence, much better." Maribel clasps both of her hands and smirks at her daughter once again. "The floor is yours, Lopez."_

_Santana smirks back and coasts through her whole half-hour of recitation and discussion. There were barely any questions thrown because she usually fills in the gaps immediately. Everyone was amused, actually. We were all taking notes while Maribel was just sitting in front as she listens intently, nodding every now and then at Santana's words, the older Lopez would only ask to steer San whenever she'd be missing a detail._

_When she finished speaking, everyone in the classroom is just impressed as hell. Specially Maribel. I glance at Santana and she's pretending to be all cool and nonchalant about it but the smugness is clearly shining through._

_"Well, I don't think I need to discuss it anymore." Maribel smiles. "Fantastic job, Santana. You've clearly redeemed yourself."_

_"Thank you, Ma'am." Santana mutters. Proud of herself and barely containing the glee she's feeling._

_Shortly after class was dismissed. I instantly pulled Santana close to me. "Baby, I think I just ruined my panties. We need to go." I exclaim as I practically drag her out of our row._

_Santana chuckles as we pass by Quinn. "Wait, where are you kids going?"_

_"Hold the fort for us. We'll meet you after an hour!" I scream as we laugh. "Or more!"_

_"Oh my god. You girls are totally gonna do it, aren't you?" Quinn shakes her head in disbelief._

_"Yes, we are!" Santana cries out and we sneak past her mom._

"Hey Britt, I stole pepperoni for you from Kurt's plate. Quick! Eat it before he notices!" Santana grins as she secretly hands me a square pizza piece like it's drugs or something.

I chuckle heartily and grab the pizza from her. I glance over Santana's shoulder and see Kurt talking to Miss Wright. Out of everyone in our group, Kurt's really the one who Miss Wright has taken a liking to. I think they're even talking about Hummel's Hippo Brooch before he looked at his plate with wide eyes then to us. Santana sticks out her tongue at him and winks. I just laugh heartily at the scene before me and grab Santana closer by the waist to give her a quick kiss.

Or two.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

A week has passed since we had the pizza party back in Admin Law and we've just finished suffering from our Evidence exam not more than a few hours ago. Oh God, let's not talk about that. Just thinking about it gives me a migraine. It was so difficult that all my friends and I decided to split up and go home immediately after it so we can all take a nap, drink a whole bottle of tequila, or wallow in self pity. Maybe everything at once, if it's possible.

After a few hours of waiting for Mami to finish with some school stuff, Quinn, Britt, and I brought her to this quiant Italian place close to the airport for a quick snack before her flight.

"So, girls, how was the exam?" Mami inquires in between bites of her pasta.

The three of us suddenly stop eating and give each other a look. After a few seconds, we all sighed in unison.

"Oh my god. That is probably the hardest exam I've ever had, Maribel." Brittany mutters.

"Definitely. I stared at my paper for the whole first hour." Quinn shakes her head.

"Can we please not discuss this anymore? You practically hold our fate in your hands, Mother." I jest and we all chuckle.

"I'm actually done with grading all your papers." Mami adds nonchalantly.

My eyes automatically widen and I could practically catch flies with how open mouth is. I think my heart stopped beating as well. I look at Quinn and Brittany who are sporting the same expression.

"S-So, u-uhmm.. Did w-we pass the exam?" I utter.

"Tread lightly, San." Brittany exclaims as she squeezes my arms in nervousness.

Mami purses her lips at us before sighing. "You girls passed."

"Oh!" We scream loud in unison and dramatically hug each other that everyone in the restaurant gives us a look.

"We passed! Oh god, we passed!" Quinn exclaims.

"Please don't make it sound like you're having an orgasm, Q." I jest.

"Shut up, S."

"Uhmm.. Your mother is right here beside you, Mija." Mami raises an eyebrow at me.

I chuckle as I relax in my seat and take a sip of my wine. "Wow, we'll all be 3L's next year. Last year of law school, girls!" I grin as I look at Quinn and Britt beside me and see them suddenly go pale.

"We still have that ConLaw exam next week, Britt." Quinn mutters under her breath while staring at the floor.

"Yeah. Only July's in the way between getting in our last year in law school and summer break." Britt sighs.

I grab Brittany's hand and squeeze it as I give her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sure you'll ace that, baby."

"You mean the both of us, right S?" Quinn wiggles her eyebrows at me.

"Fine. You too, Q." I roll my eyes at her and she does too.

"Well then, I am stealing your girlfriend for a while to help me pick out a perfectly nice wine for dinner with Rachel later." Quinn grabs Brittany, who's chuckling at us, to the nearby racks of wine.

"Which Britt and I are invited to!" I exclaim as they walk away from us. I laugh a little as I take another sip of my wine.

"You got the highest score. Near perfect, actually." Mami says nonchalantly after a few seconds.

I almost spit out my wine in shock. "W-What? How is that possible?"

"Beats me." Mami waves her hand in disregard. "I wasn't the one who checked yours, for the record. I had the other Evidence professor do it for me so there would be no bias and you could imagine my surprise when he handed me your paper. I double-checked everything and it checks out. Though I corrected a few, so your score kind of went down a few points but nevertheless that's the highest anyone has ever scored in any of my exams."

"Wait. Won't they think that there's something fishy about me getting that high score in my mother's exam?"

"Not really." Mama L shakes her head. "One, that was the hardest exam I've ever given in my entire teaching career. Half of the class failed, I think your friends barely passed." She pauses.

"Two, I made the exam just this morning upon arriving at Harvard, on a computer with no internet and a student assistant giving me directions on how to use it. I told them shut down the wafer in the office for the entire hour for that."

"It's called WiFi, Mami." I laugh a little and she rolls her eyes at me. Yes, my mother is hopeless with techie stuff. Completely hopeless. Mami once thought that a BluRay was some kind of an aquatic creature. I motion for her to continue.

"And three, I told the Dean and everyone else that you'd gladly retake a different exam from the other Evidence professor if they have doubts about it."

"W-What? I-I said that?" I mutter, surprised.

"Not really. I thought you wouldn't mind and it really wouldn't have made a difference." Mother says nonchalantly. "I submitted all the grades already and the they know about it. No one even batted an eye because apparently, you're some kind of an awesome student here and it was expected of you. I think they would have been more surprised if you failed and when I head that I was like, "Santana? Please!" Mami smirks.

I give a devilish grin and shake my head. "Well, I learned from the best, didn't I?"

"That's true." Mami winks and we both laugh. "I'm really proud of you, Santana. There might have been a few hiccups along the way but you've clearly redeemed yourself." She squeezes my hand. "You're probably the best student I've ever had."

"'Probably'? Wow, way to hurt my feelings, mom." I say, sarcastically.

"You are, Mija! Just don't tell Cassie and Carl because they'll flip for sure."

"They can suck it!" I exclaim and we chuckle. I take a sip of my wine and glance at Brittany who looks serious in choosing a wine on a corner. Complete with squinting her eyes and fingers holding her chin for measure. It's quite cute, actually.

"Look at you, Santana. All loved up and happy. There's a term for that with you kids nowadays. It has something to do with cream and a drink.." Mama L trails off.

I turn my attention back to Mami and give her a curious look. "Uhmm.. Whipped?"

"Ah! Whipped! That you are, Santana. I thought I'd never see the day." Mother winks at me and I shake my head in disbelief.

"Yeah. I've been getting that a lot. Brittany is just really special to me, Mami."

"I know, Mija. It's quite obvious, actually. I don't think I can see anyone with you but her. You and Brittany getting married and creating a family. Just imagine how cute those blue-eyed Latina babies will be! I must say that Brittany seems like the perfect daughter-in-law. We even get along nicely!"

"Woah!" I say, holding up both hands. "Let's all slow down, alright? No one's getting married yet."

Mami laughs. "You say that now, Santana."

I give Mother a look and sigh in defeat. "We'll get there at the right time. We'll see how it goes, Mother. It's still a long journey for us."

Mami nods at me and takes a sip of her wine. "Have you girls talked about moving in together? Or something along those lines?

I look back at Brittany who's finally chosen a wine with Quinn. I feel like an idiot, grinning automatically at the sight of my girl. "We have."

"So, what's the decision?"

"That, we've yet to know, Mami." I smirk at my Mother who's seemingly confused and only gives me a look.

"Hey baby, you missed me?" Brittany mutters upon taking a seat next to me, kissing me on the cheek in the process.

"Of course." I wink at her and she grins.

"Oh God. Here we go again." Quinn cries out on my other side with an eye roll.

"Someone needs to get laid!" I singsong and Quinn shakes her head and sighs.

"Again, your mother is right here beside you, Mija." We all laugh and talk about something else entirely.

"By the way, I bribed the student assistant of the professor who checked your exam with 20 bucks to tell as many people as he can about you getting the highest score in my exam. You're practically a legend now, Santanita." Mami whispers next to me, smirking.

I laugh. "You really are the coolest mother there is, Mami."

"I know, right?" Mother takes a sip of her wine. "I gave an extra 10 dollars to the kid to spread that too."

* * *

I'm walking out of my building after my exam in ConLaw with the others. I told the others to go ahead and that I'll just meet them at Adam's since my car's parked a bit far away than what I would've liked.

I texted Britt that exams just finished but I doubt that she has her phone right now. Quinn and her have been studying relentlessly for their ConLaw exams with July. Every waking moment is spent literally bent over the study table, sadly not the one I'd prefer, going over notes and studying like crazy. Rachel and I kinda help by buying food for them every now and then though.

I put my phone away as I proceed to approach my car and unlock the door. Unfortunately, I look up just in time to see Castle walking a few feet from me, oblivious to my existence. I contemplated it for a bit and decide to be a little nice today. A little.

"Castle." I mutter as she passes by. The redhead looks up in surprise and stops in her tracks just in front of my car.

"Lopez." Laura replies nonchalantly and nods. I walk and settle myself across from her while crossing my arms.

"I see you've been keeping your part of our bargain-"

"Oh will you just cut the crap?!" Castle snaps at me.

"Alright then. Glad you're staying the fuck away from us, Ginger Cretin."

Castle comes closer and leans towards me. "I'm not fucking afraid of you, Lopez. I'm not afraid of some lame threat to keep me away from Pierce."

"Well, clearly you seem like you are. I even thought you were dead or something before today."

"Contrary to my plans and your belief, I do like Pierce and I won't stop-"

I stop her by placing my hand in front of her face. I chuckle a little when I see her flinch at the motion, like she thought I was going to slap her or something. Tempting. But no.

"Sshh.." I say and smirk at her downtrodden looking face, the face of a scared kid. "Do you hear that, Castle?"

Silence.

Pure silence that is only broken by an old man passing by, coughing like his lungs are coming out of his mouth. Castle looks like an idiot trying to listen to something nonexistent.

"Nothing, right?" I smirk and lean towards her. "Well, that's how many fucks I give about you and your worthless presence in my life."

Castle glares at me, trying hard to seem intimidating but just fails at it and instead, looks constipated.

"I just don't understand, you know. Were you dropped as a newborn when your mother gave birth to you? Did your imaginary friends leave you because they discovered you were Rosemary's Baby?" I chuckle sarcastically and cross my arms again. "You know, I'm tired of talking some sense into you. My patience's run out already and it's getting a bit old and anticlimactic. I don't even know how you got into law school when you can't even understand basic instructions like this." I pause and sigh.

"I'm not even going to blow up into another speech since being a redhead is enough insult and repentance for you, Damian from The Omen." I mutter and wave my hand in disregard. "So, for the last time, don't you dare show up your face to any of us, specially me. Even accidentally like this."

"B-But I go to this school-"

"I. Don't. Fucking. Care." I raise an eyebrow at her. "Harvard is like half of Cambridge. Park a few miles away. Go to the library in the middle of the night. Dig a hole and move in there. Find a fucking way or I will cut you if I see you again, bitch." I turn my back on her and walk towards my car again.

"Y-You can't do this!" She shouts behind me. I laugh as I turn around and smirk at her.

"I can and I have already, Elmo." I open the door of my car and glare at Castle one last time. "Now get out of the way or I won't hesitate to run you over. I'll probably get away with it since my mother's the best lawyer there is. I'll even tell the jury that you've offended me with your outfit that is so Project Runway, Season 6 so I had no choice but to do it. And please completely take offense in that on behalf of the Weasleys." I exclaim and Castle cowers in fear.

I start my engine and rev it a couple of times as she steps back to watch me pull out of the parking lot looking down and shit.

Nonetheless, I smirk as I let her eat my dust as I drive away from her. Literally.

* * *

**Xoxo**


	24. Chapter 24

**I think I may have spoiled you all a bit too much with the fast updates. LOL. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Credits goes to all of you! :)**

**One last chapter to go but I'm so ready for the sequel ;)**

**I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. ENJOY!**

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

I seriously feel like throwing up.

I'm dizzy and high on caffeine at the same time. So, I kinda feel like a rock star who'd just taken drugs to get through a show. Or like drugs inside a rockstar's body. Oh gosh, I'm not making any sense right now. Must be the lightheaded thing after having not slept for almost two days. My heart is beating out of my chest. Palms are sweaty. I'm probably as pale as Bella Swan right now, but with like, emotions.

Cassie July has finally finished grading our exams after only a few hours. Word is, only five passed the course and just three passed her unbelievably confusing exam. That's the funny thing though, it's not as hard as I've anticipated but it's confusing as hell. At first, you'd even think that the exam was easy because you'd studied well but upon closer inspection, you'll realize that there were a few subtle words inserted that would totally change the concept of the question upon re-reading it. The type that you wouldn't have given a damn at all at first glance. I think that's what is amazing about it and disturbing at the same time.

Cassandra July, the sly devil that she is, had us rely on our common sense for answering the exam.

You think you know the answer then a sudden, minimal detail changes the whole damn thing and you're suddenly thrown into a frenzy of which laws to use or case/s did the facts in her question stemmed from. But if you think about it, every question was discussed in class and all the answers were given by July, one way or another. Her exam did not thrive on the hard and confusing parts, she concentrated on the simple ones which tested if we really understood the basics. Something we absolutely did not anticipate. I even took a quick glance at Quinn during the exam and saw that I wasn't the only one having difficulty about it. I think the scariest part about the whole thing was if you failed the exam, it's as if you're being slapped in the face by saying that you have no common sense at all.

I think that's why fear is coursing through my body right now as Quinn and I walk towards the office where they're keeping our grades. When we finally arrive, there were a few students inside as well. Quinn takes a deep breath and volunteers to go check for the both of us. I nod and suddenly find myself pacing through the corridor like a crazy person as I wait for Quinn to come out, extremely nervous for my own fate.

"Taylor Swift."

I jump in surprise and turn around to see Cassandra July smirking at me with her hands resting on her waist, just a few feet away from where I'm standing. I suddenly feel a bit scared since I really haven't encountered her after class like this. Alone.

"U-Uh.. M-Miss J-July." I stutter and awkwardly wave at her. _Oh my god, why am I waving?_

She chuckles and visibly relaxes. "You know, I regret not giving you that nickname much earlier. It's kinda catchy."

Well, I don't really know how to react to that. So, I force a smile and nod.

"Getting your grades, I see." July says. "Nervous?"

I raise my hand and gesture as if I'm sizing up something. "A bit."

"You should be. The past 20 people who had come out of that room ran away crying." July smirks and I gulp loudly. "I should know, I've been watching from the shadows eating popcorn." I give her a look. "I'm kidding, TayTay. I was just passing by."

I squint my eyes. "Wait. T-Twenty?"

"From what I heard. Those were just the criers. The others who failed came out looking like Kristen Stewart acting out a scene in Twilight. An example would be Castle."

My mouth drops open. Laura failed? Oh crap. I'm so dead if that's the case.

"But don't worry." Cassie mutters as she takes a seat on the nearby bench and motions for me to do the same beside her. I give her a curious stare at first but nonetheless, oblige to her request. "You passed." July says nonchalantly.

I blink a few times and stare at her like an idiot. Well, for one thing, I'm not sure if she's just keeping my hopes up or pulling my leg. But then, she raises both of her eyebrows and nods at me, emphasizing that she is indeed telling the truth.

Oh.

Holy Mother of Guacamole! Oh my god! Holy shit! Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!

I feel like I'm about to have an asthma attack even if I don't have asthma. Oh gosh! I feel so ecstatic right now! I wanna jump and do countless cartwheels throughout the corridor even if Miss July's in front of me. I feel like screaming! All those sleepless nights and embarrassing moments are totally worth it. Totally!

I could barely contain my glee and since I'm only human, I squeal like a sorority girl and embrace Cassie who looks taken aback by my actions. After a few seconds, I realize what I was doing, so I immediately and awkwardly let go of her.

"S-Sorry, Miss J-July. I'm just really happy!" I grin.

Cassie smiles. Actually smiles at me. She waves her hand in disregard. "You're entitled, Pierce." I smile back at her and nod. We both lean back on the bench. "You never gave up even if I've given you a lot of reasons to. You can't even force yourself not to be nice while doing it." July adds and we both chuckle.

"I see myself in you, Blondie."

I turn my attention to her in surprise. "Y-You do?"

"More than you think." Cassie nods. "The goody two shoes who's set to prove herself to the world that she's amazing and is not afraid of anything. I was definitely like you back then." She chuckles. "But then reality took over and turned me into a hardened person when I realize that being soft has no place for such a career. You see, in the real world, people will take advantage of you whenever they see even a small chance of being successful in it." July pauses.

"When I saw you looking at me that way back in our first day of class, I knew it. I knew you were different from the others. I had a feeling that you know, maybe this one just needs a little push. Some motivation. That you needed to be hardened so people won't take advantage of you in the long run. Because as much as it kills me to be nice, I'm still a teacher. I don't want my students to go through the same thing as I did before. And I'm glad that you worked your ass off to prove yourself to everyone that a little adversity ain't gonna stop you. You have great potential to go far, Pierce."

Speechless. That's what I am.

"I-I.. Thank you, Cassie." I mutter with a smile.

"Oh my god, Britt! You will not bel-" Quinn comes out all happy then suddenly cowers upon seeing July. "Oh. Uhmm.. Hello, Miss July."

Cassie smirks and motions to stand up. "Well ladies, that's my cue to leave." She grabs her stuff from the bench. "Congratulations, girls. I seriously recommend that you brag about it in the entire school. Good luck and I hope never to see your faces again!" She laughs and walks away from us.

We look at each other she walks away from us. It was only when Cassie completely disappeared from our sight that Quinn and I finally say something.

"Why was she talking to you?" Quinn asks, looking confused.

"I've no idea as well. She just came out of nowhere." I shrug but smile internally at the memory of Cassie's words. "Anyway, what was it that you were about to say?"

Her demeanor suddenly changes. "We both received an Honors grade! Nobody has ever been given that grade in July's whole stint here! Our exams were B+ too!"

I hold my hand to my mouth in shock. "Oh my god! Please tell me you're not kidding."

"I'm not, B. I even took a picture of it. Look!" Quinn shows me her phone and my mouth opens in surprise. It really is true.

"T-This is... Oh my god, Q!"

"Living, breathing, and surviving legends, Britt! Came, Saw, Conquer, and the whole freaking nine yards!"

We squeal in unison and jump like idiots in glee. I think we even did a celebratory dance of some sort. In the middle of the corridor. With some students passing us by. We're just so freaking happy!

Oh, I remember now. We definitely did the Running Man.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

"We're finally getting married!"

I jump in surprise at Lady Yangchow's voice. We're all situated at my apartment, celebrating the end of Spring Term with a lot of junk food and booze. There are lots to celebrate about right now, you see. Everyone acing their exams. Everyone passing with flying colors. I can't remember the rest but what I do recall is Britt and I getting it on all night, last night after she came over rushing to tell me that Q and her aced ConLaw. Cannot be prouder of my girl. Yeah. Highlight of my week. Definitely.

"You're engaged, of course you're getting married. Duh." I roll my eyes at her as I take a swig of my beer.

"No, Santana. We really are finally getting married." Mike happily exclaims.

"Oh." We all say in unison then exploded with excitement the next second.

"When is the wedding?" Brittany exclaims as she cuddles closer towards me.

"We agreed that it would be on the day after Graduation so everyone can attend." Tina mutters and we all nod amongst ourselves. "It's going to be a small wedding. Just our close friends and families."

"Do you have a wedding planner? I can help!" Kurt exclaims.

"It's all yours, Kurt. But we just want it to be simple and intimate." Mike replies.

"I don't think Kurt knows what intimate means." I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively and they all groan. The Asians shakes their heads and proceed to discuss a few wedding details with Kurt.

"What about you Cedes? Any plans? Just one more year and we'll finally graduate." Quinn utters and the rest of us turn to face Mercedes.

"Well, do you remember the demo and Jessie J thing I told you guys?" The girl exclaims and we all nod. "It worked out and you are now officially looking at one of Jessie J's backup singers for her new album, bitches!" We scream like wild kids and collectively cheer at the great news.

"That is amazing! The 'don't forget us' statements are finally legit!" I say.

"Satan, it's just back-up vocals." Mercedes shyly replies.

"It's not_ just_ backup vocals, Cedes. We all gotta start somewhere and this is the first of many successes you will have along the way. That, I'm definitely banking on." I raise my beer and everyone agrees with me.

"How about law school? Bar exams? Will you still finish everything?" Rachel speaks up.

Mercedes nods frantically. "Oh, hell to the yes! It's just one more year so might as well finish it, you know. Besides, I think it would be great on my résumé. Singer slash Lawyer."

"No one's gonna try to double cross you, that's for sure!" Mike exclaims and we all laugh.

"I have an announcement, too." Kurt cries out.

"I think we all know that you're gay, Porcelain." I chime in and get a look from Brittany that makes me hold back in unleashing more insults. A bit. A teeny, tiny, little bit.

"It's always a pleasure to see you on a leash, Satan." Kurt smirks and I roll my eyes at him while everyone chuckles at us. "Anyway, I just got a call a few hours ago that I've been accepted for an externship program in Paris. And the best thing? It coincides with Fashion Week! Waddup people?" Hummel cries out and we all clap at the news.

"You totally went for that externship because of Fashion Week, didn't you?" Quinn exclaims with a devilish grin.

"Totally!" Kurt chimes in quickly.

"How about the others? What will you guys be up to?" Cedes asks.

"Pro Bono Legal Work with Kurt and Tina this summer at Boston." Mike exclaims.

"As you all know, I graduated with a degree in Drama at Princeton so I will be using my talents and audition for a few roles that I deem fit for me in New York after a brief stint in a prestigious Environmental Law firm that I was accepted to. I can't let Law School get in the way of becoming a Broadway star cum Lawyer!" Rachel stands up for a more dramatic gesture.

"Then why are you in law school to begin with?" I ask, my face scrunch up in confusion.

"Because my talent and potential cannot be held down in one profession only, Santana. As you see, I am planning to enjoy the best of both worlds."

"God, Berry. You make it sound like a bisexual's ultimate fantasy." I groan.

Rachel gives me a look. "I have an undeniable passion for both fields so why not pursue both? View it like Mercedes' dream, just For Broadway." Berry grins and scoots closer to Fabgay.

"Oh. How's the Dalton going, by the way?" Mercedes exclaims facing Quinn.

"Well, Brittany and I will be taking over Dalton next school year since the current President sucks. So, we'll be preparing for that this summer after our internship." Quinn mutters as Brittany nods.

"We had our last meeting for this term the week before ConLaw exams and the upperclassmen's tips definitely helped us." Brittany mutters.

"Oh yeah, congratulations for the ConLaw thing! The both of you are like, living legends of badassery now with Santana! Everyone in campus is literally talking about the three of you." Tina exclaims and we all grin.

"The three of you should go by a name or something." Kurt chimes in.

"How about Apocalipsticks?" I suggest and everyone shakes their heads.

"Pamela Lansbury?" Rachel exclaims and we all pause to think about it for a second since it's kind of a badass name. But in the end, we all say no.

"The Nip Slips!" Mike mutters and we all laugh while shaking our heads.

"The Three Ls!" Kurt suggests and we all give him a curious look."You know, like The Three Lesbians? Or maybe go with Legal Lesbians-"

"No!" Britt, Quinn, and I shout sternly.

"PowerHot Girls?" Tina exclaims.

"Legalese Chicks?" Mercedes chimes in.

"Oh my god. You did not just name us after the freaking Powerpuff Girls, Yangchow. And no to that, Cedes. It makes us seem like mail-order brides!" I chuckle sarcastically and we all laugh.

"Unholy Trinity." Quinn mutters.

We all pause and turn to look at one another. "'Unholy Trinity'" I let the name roll out of my mouth. "I love it! Let's go with that!" I exclaim and everyone agrees.

"So, the four of you are going to New York to do an internship for your mother's firm, Santana?" Tina asks.

I nod and smile. "Yep. Except Berry. It's just a one month stint though."

"I respectfully turned down Maribel's offer because both Environmental and Animal Law holds a special place in my heart. I'm not really into Corporate Law which she understood. Santana's mother was the one who referred me to the big time firm where I'll be an intern, actually. Needless to say, they were very impressed." Rachel interjects confidently.

"Wow, how cool is that?" Kurt exclaims.

"Very cool, Kurt." Rachel replies.

"Yeah. Stop trying to be cool before you embarrass yourself, Berry." I roll my eyes at her and Rachel purses her lips while giving me a look.

"Alright now, retract those claws." Quinn exclaims and grabs her wine glass. "Instead, I propose a toast." She adds with a grin and we nod.

Everyone raises their glasses. "We survived yet another grueling term and school year. Just one more year and we'll all be done. Congratulations to us! 3L, here we come!" We collectively cheer and proceed to down our drinks in celebration.

"I still think that 'Legal Lesbians' is a cool-" Kurt exclaims.

"No!" The three of us shout in unison.

* * *

**\- Brittany POV -**

"Baby.."

I stir a little from my sleep and immediately hold my head as I groan. All of us celebrated until the wee hours of the morning. I think Santana and I only retreated to her bedroom not more than three hours ago. I think I'm hungover since I really drank a lot last night. Last thing I remember was almost stripping in the middle of the living room where everyone was dancing. Oh. That's not it. Last thing I remember was stripping off Santana's clothes like there's no tomorrow.

"Baby.. Wake up." A raspy voice whispers into my ear and kisses me on my shoulder blades.

I move a little and turn to face Santana sitting beside me, looking all beautiful and grinning.

"Not so loud, San." I mumble and she chuckles at me.

"I prepared breakfast for us in the kitchen. Let's eat before the dead bodies in the living room wake up and eat your bacons." The brunette mutters which made me laugh a little. I hesitantly nod at this and slowly sit upright as Santana told me to just follow when I'm ready. I freshen up a little and grab an oversized shirt from Santana's closet to wear before coming out of the brunette's bedroom to see an incredibly thrashed apartment. Santana was right about the dead bodies too.

Mike is knocked out on the floor in front of the flat screen. Mercedes and Tina looks dead to me while lying on different sides of the couch. Quinn is sleeping by the dining area, leaning on a chair and holding a pillow. I think I can see Kurt sleeping on the floor of the balcony. And Rachel looks like a human carpet, sprawled out on the floor across the front door, beside the kitchen while snoring loudly and some obvious drooling.

Santana passes over Rachel's body as she gets a few stuff from the kitchen and into the dining table. She motions for me to come closer and I make my way slowly, careful not to cause any sound that would wake everyone up from their embarrassing positions.

"Don't worry, I took a picture of everyone already." Santana whispers and we both laugh silently.

"You cooked all of this?" I ask Santana upon sitting. I see bacons, eggs, waffles, pancakes, and toasts situated on the table.

"Yeah. I decided to be nice and cook for the Walkers." The brunette winks and I chuckle as I thank her by giving her a quick kiss.

I look across from me and see Quinn still fast asleep on the chair in front of us with her mouth open. "Looks like someone's joining us for breakfast." I say and we're barely able to hold ourselves together for a minute from laughing too much, careful not to be too loud.

"Bet you I can shoot this M&amp;M in her mouth." Santana smirks and I give her a playful grin. The brunette raises the red M&amp;M and concentrates on her task. After a few seconds, she throws the candy and it literally enters Quinn's mouth and rests on her tongue.

"Oh!" We shout a little too loud that Quinn jerks a little. She closes her mouth then feels for the candy in her tongue before chewing and eating it. Still asleep. Santana and I look at each other then suddenly laugh out loud at what just happened.

It took us almost a complete minute before we calmed down and decide to eat. As I was supposed to take a bacon, I realize that there's no plate set up in front of us. I motion to stand up but was stopped by Santana midway. "I got it." She says with a wink.

I nod and settle in my seat as I survey the room again. After a few seconds, Santana comes back from the kitchen. I smile at her and look down on my plate to see food in it already.

Pancakes, to be exact. But not the usual round ones. Pancakes in the form of letters which seems to be forming words. A sentence.

Must be the alcohol, hangover, or lack of sleep that took me a while to realize what was written in pancake form. But when I do, everything is suddenly clear and I'm instantly wide awake.

"WILL YOU MOVE IN WITH ME?"

OH MY GOD.

I automatically grin and hold both hands to my mouth in surprise. I look back at Santana who's looking at me curiously, eager to know my answer. I'm so speechless that I didn't even try to speak out of surprise for the first few seconds. I just nod frantically and move closer towards her for a kiss. Santana finally breaks out into a wide grin and returns my kiss deeply.

"It was just supposed to be "Move in with me" only but then I figured that you'll eat everything within a minute and I wouldn't want you to get hung-" Santana rambles before I cut her by pressing my lips into hers again.

"I'd love to move in with you, baby." I finally croak out. "And it's in pancake form, I would never say 'no' that."

"Good. Because I was trying to figure out how you'll walk out of my apartment with Berry like that on the front door." Santana mutters and we laugh much louder this time.

"I love you so much, San." I whisper, a little out of breath from laughing.

"I love you too, Britt." I pull her closer towards me and close the gap for another kiss.

"You know, they'll probably be knocked out for the next few hours.." I trail off and Santana smirks. "Maybe we could finish breakfast quickly and continue this in the bedroom.." I smirk back and she nods. We settle in a comfortable silence while eating breakfast when a thought popped in my head.

"Wait. Where did the candy come from?" I ask, suddenly curious.

"I don't know. It's been there since I woke up this morning." Santana exclaims and we pause to stare at each other for a second before laughing some more then talk about something else entirely.

I could get used to this. Definitely.

* * *

**It's the last stretch! Make it rain with your feedback and reviews, so I can edit and post the next one already, people!**


	25. Chapter 25

**And we have finally arrived at this moment. I would like to thank each and everyone of you who has supported this fic! You guys have been unbelievably great! I'll be coming back with the sequel after two-three weeks, so watch out for that!**

**In the meantime, check out my other story "Chasing Pavements" which I'll be finishing first before the sequel to LOA comes up.**

**THANK YOU for everything!**

**I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING. ENJOY!**

* * *

_**1 year later. Graduation Day.**_

**\- Brittany POV -**

Santana looks like an angel while she's sleeping.

I probably look like an idiot, smiling to myself as I watch her sleep beside me. She looks so calm. So different from the witty and confident Santana everyone is used to. I guess that's what makes it special between us. I know the real Santana. The kind, sensitive, and sweet girl that I wake up next to everyday for almost a year now. Yeah. I gotta stop gushing about my girlfriend like this.

Living with Santana over the past year has been nothing but amazing. Every waking moment literally starts with a smile. Just the thought that after an exhausting day, I get to actually come home to her makes me feel unbelievably content. Talk. Laugh. Cuddle. Make love. Up to now I still haven't gotten over the mind blowing sex. That's multiplied over the fact that we get to do it whenever and wherever we want. Unlimited sex and kisses. I could not be happier right now. Seriously. That's _the _dream.

It really wasn't that hard to develop a routine. Since we've always been all domestic since we started dating, it came naturally for us. It even made us wonder why we didn't do it sooner. Our friends helped us move and Grams came over to throw us a housewarming party which involved a lot of alcohol and food. Needless to say, our living room looked like a scene from a movie with lots of dead bodies in the form of our friends again.

Suddenly, Santana snores beside me and I laugh at the cute sound she produces. That usually only happens when she's really tired from the night before and I can't blame her. We really went at it last night in bed, to the point that we just fell asleep out of fatigue or extreme pleasure. I grin as I remove some stray hair away from her face and move it behind her ear then push it a little more by lightly kissing her temple which woke her up. Gosh, I'm so whipped.

Santana slowly opens her eyes and takes in her environment first. I laugh internally because she looks so sleepy and hungover without the alcohol from the night before. She basically looks tired as hell.

"Good morning, sweetheart." I mutter beside her while grinning like a happy kid. Santana faces me and smiles lazily. She flails her arms on my body and buries her face on my naked chest. "We need to get up, San."

"Noo.."

"We do, baby. We're graduating today. You have to deliver a speech later."

"No.. Boobs.." Santana mumbles with her face still buried on my chest.

I chuckle and push her back on the bed then remove the blanket covering our bodies to reveal all our naked glory. I instantly see the smirk forming on Santana's face.

"How about this," I position myself on top of her and I hear a whimper escape Santana's mouth. I lower my face and stop just beside her ear. "We take a shower now then get ready and I promise to make it up to you later with an all-nighter." I whisper seductively in her ear and hear a slight moan again. "Or maybe we could do it now." I add and press my lips deep into hers.

It's as if last night didn't take its toll on us with how hot we still are for each other. I push it further by touching her breasts and pulling her closer towards me, so that I'm basically straddling her now. I swipe my tongue into hers and Santana just hits it right off the bat with the wonderful things she's doing in my mouth. I pull apart from her and travel towards her earlobes with kisses which elicited a loud moan. I proceed to kiss my way to her neck and play with her collar bone using my tongue. By the look on Santana's face, I'm doing just fine. So fine.

When I see her clearly enjoying this, I flip us over so that she'd be the one on top of me and well, I'm enjoying the view from here. I immediately suck on her breast and pretty much sent Santana over the edge when I flick my tongue on her nipple. I smirk as I stare at her face, clearly turned on. I spread her legs by using my right leg and touch her where she needs it the most, right on the spot where she's throbbing.

"B-Baby.." Santana whispers against my ear.

I do circling motions right _on_ Santana and she moans louder this time. I pull her closer for another lazy kiss and remove the covers from my feet. Santana jerks a little and holds on tighter to me when I slowly proceed to stand up from the bed, carrying her by the torso and still ravishing her with kisses while walking towards the bathroom. I carefully get us inside the shower without breaking apart and pin her against the wall as I turn on the shower itself. We pull apart after a few seconds to breathe a little and chuckle like little kids at the thought that we're doing it with the water pouring on us like this.

It was short lived though because the next thing I knew, I'm pumping my fingers in and out of Santana while she's screaming my name and holding on for dear life by hugging my neck tightly. I attack her neck and shoulders alternately and go faster inside her which all the more gets Santana worked up and she's now basically riding my fingers. I wonder to myself where I'm getting the strength of carrying and doing her at the same time but then again, it doesn't really matter.

"F-Fuck.. C-Close.." Santana manages to croak out in between moaning and screaming for pleasure.

I smirk to myself and bury my face on her neck for a second as I go deeper this time and it pretty much sends Santana right over the edge while her inside tightens against my fingers. After a while, Santana comes and moans loudly in my ear as her body visibly shakes against mine. I catch the brunette's lips and tenderly kiss her as I help her come down from the high.

We stay like that for a few minutes until Santana's weight has finally taken its toll on me. The brunette chuckles and motions for me to let her go. I kiss her a few more times before pulling my fingers out of her and a moan escapes her lips that almost made me want to have another go again. I settle her down carefully as she slowly regains her composure through wobbly legs. I grab her by the waist and pull her closer towards me again for another kiss when the sound of our front door being slammed and a voice almost startled us to death.

"Britty, Selena, get up already! This place reeks of sex! Get a move on or you'll be late for your own graduation! I bought breakfast from that charming gay man who owns a coffee shop a few blocks away!"

Grams' familiar voice resonates throughout the apartment. Santana and I give each other a questioning look.

"How did she get in?" I ask.

Santana shrugs. "I think Grams mentioned about arriving early and she stole my keys before then had it copied."

I sigh as I roll my eyes and chuckle because that's so Grams.

"Did you hear me? Say something or I'll barge in through your room with my hand covering my eyes if you don't answer me right now! Please don't tell me you're having sex." Grams exclaims and we laugh.

And in true Grams' fashion, we hear our bedroom door open after a few seconds and Santana and I jump a little.

"Oh my god! Your bedroom stinks! And what is this?! Wonder woman undies? Haven't I taught the both of you much better than this?"

We laugh like crazy because we're so used to Grams' antics towards us by now that we're practically immune to it. "We're coming!" We say in unison and I hear Grams groan from the other side of the door.

"Oh God. You girls better not be referring to sex right now or I'll probably die of a heart attack before the lot of you graduate."

We laugh some more and really try shower this time.

Try is a strong word.

* * *

"Over the course of three years, I was able to witness this young girl bloom into a fine young woman. She's been offered to work for one of the best and top law firms in New York. She was a student of mine twice before and let me tell you something that I have full confidence in, great things are surely in store for her in the future. I am deeply honored to call to the podium, the batch's elected speaker, Santana Lopez!" Dean Tibideaux exclaims.

Everyone in the auditorium claps as Santana, who's wearing a red toga like the rest of us, shyly shakes the Dean's hand before settling herself on the podium. Our eyes meet and I grin proudly back at her as she smiles and visibly relaxes in her position. She takes a deep breath before looking back up again at everyone.

"My first day of law school wasn't what you'd call ideal. Technically, I wasn't there for it." Santana grins at the memory and everyone in the auditorium chuckles. "You see, my very first day of law school occurred the week after that and let me tell you something about it, that day was one of the best days of my life." The brunette pauses.

"In the gist of one day, I had an almost stroke from my first class, got called for my first recitation in the next, met the best friends anyone could ever have, and finally, I met the love of my life." San looks at me and I feel like I'm on cloud nine.

"You can probably tell that life is going to be pretty amazing from there. And yes, you are right. Law school changed my life. It changed mine for the better and I'm so glad it did." Santana pauses. "Back on my first day, a brilliant teacher told me that she was extremely proud of me. Now, I know that you'd probably wonder why a teacher would tell me that on my first day. It meant the world to me because that brilliant teacher is my mother." Santana's gaze locks in on Maribel who's tearing up by the corner with Richard and my parents. Oh, Gergerpal's crying too.

"I'm probably the luckiest person on Earth for having an incredible support system by way of my family, friends, and partner." Santana smiles at everyone. "But you see, there is nothing more rewarding when you finally feel what they've been trying to express all along. That they're proud of you. There is nothing more rewarding when you finally feel that you're proud of yourself."

"And that's what I'm encouraging you to let yourself feel right now. Be proud of yourself. Do some internal bragging. Because kids, you're graduating with a law degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the world. You're entitled to feel good about yourself. You're among the few who have survived and will get to represent Harvard when you enter the real world with flying colors. My friends, that is something to be extremely proud of." Santana grins and everyone in the audience does to.

"So, congratulations, Batch 2012. We did it!" Santana exclaims and everyone cheers in unison with some people even throwing their caps in the air.

I look at Santana and catch her looking back at me with that signature smile of hers. Like a dork, I draw a heart figure with both my pointing fingers while staring at her and she winks back at me, blushing.

I share tight hugs with each one of my friends. And even shared a moment with Rachel and Quinn. Because honestly, Quinn has become a vital part of my life now that I can even say that we're like sisters already. She's like my twin in many ways since we're both blondes. But of course, Rachel will always get the top spot.

They announced a month ago that they'll be living together in New York once the four of us move there. Rachel was sweet enough to ask me if I'll be okay with it out of respect and that's an awesome move right there. I told her that I can't be anymore happy about it, so did Santana. They were the ones who actually talked us into moving together in New York as well. Even pushing it as far as convincing us to take the apartment next to theirs. Basically, we'll be neighbors at the Upper East Side. We even helped each other pack all our stuff. Yeah, clingy is an understatement but I love it.

I greet some people around me too, the few people that I actually know outside my circle of friends. After a few moments, my eyes fall on a familiar redhead standing a few feet away. We look at each for a second or two before I nod with a small smile towards her way. Laura looks down at first but then returns the gesture before disappearing somewhere. I sigh because I somehow pity her after everything that's happened, you know. But a little part of me feels that the world has a way of biting you back in the ass for all the bad stuff you've done in the past. Castle is the epitome of that.

Our families are here somewhere. They're all staying for a few hours then go to New York for a short vacation or something then we'll all follow in a week or two after fixing everything here first. Get ourselves settled there then study for the bar. But maybe do our own getaway first before anything else. I'm thinking of bringing Santana to Prague or Paris. We'll see.

"Britt, let's go. They're waiting for us." Arms snake around my waist and I turn to see Santana grinning at me.

"You were great up there, San." I mutter and give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, babe." She replies with a quick kiss. "Now, let's go. Quinn's going cray because she hasn't eaten since yesterday. They're all leaving for NYC after we eat, it's just the four of us for the wedding tomorrow." I nod.

"I'm hungry too." I mumble silently.

"You're always hungry, Britt." Santana chuckles as she drags me to where the others are.

* * *

**\- Santana POV -**

"Is anyone having second thoughts about this?" Rachel exclaims.

"My second thoughts are having second thoughts, Berry. And those second second thoughts want to strangle you right now." I say.

"You can't back out of this, Santana. You lost that bet a year ago and we had an agreement, remember?"

"Aww.. I'm gonna miss you guys." Kurt exclaims.

"Y'all are precious." Mercedes chimes in.

I roll my eyes and sigh. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this over with before I change my mind."

Rachel, Quinn, Kurt, Mercedes, and I all nod and take our positions.

"Hello everyone! We are Cedes and the Legal Homosexuals! Now get on the dance floor and we hope you enjoy our show!" Rachel exclaims and the familiar tune of "Happy" by Pharell is executed by the band.

I sigh and pretend that I'm not having any suicidal thoughts out of shame because of this right now. I sing a few verses halfway through it and I'd like to make it clear that I've never imagine myself becoming part of a wedding band. Ever. But now that we're doing it, it's kinda fun. I won't admit that to anyone though. I glance at the people on the dance floor who are all enjoying and just dancing like they don't care. Brittany's dancing with a little kid among the people too and the scene just gives me a wide grin on my face.

Everything cannot be anymore perfect right now. Everyone is graduating with their heads held high. Everyone has a plan. All is well.

The Asians, who are now officially Chang and Chang, will be moving to Los Angeles after they were both offered a high paying job there. The Asians told us a week ago that the both of them had accepted the offer and if it all works out well, they'd probably settle there and start a family of numerous other Asian beings.

Speaking of Los Angeles, Mercedes is moving back to Hollywood with them too. Apparently, she impressed the producer so much in her back up singer gig that the label decided to give her a break and signed her for an album. You could imagine how happy she was when she heard the news, Cedes even broke down from so much joy. You can definitely see how important it is to her that she actually made a name for herself rather than going the short route through her famous dad.

Kurt will be the only one separated from everyone else. Before graduation, Miss Wright offered him to become her associate. Actually, to become her protégé. We all had that coming since they hit it off from the time Miss Wright complimented Kurt for something lame that I can't remember. Kidding. But we're all really proud of him and we couldn't be any happier. The only bummer would be that he'll be moving to Boston where Isabelle's firm is located. Sad. Don't tell Kurt that I'll definitely miss him.

So, about Berry. Believe it or not, her performance was so outstanding that the firm she worked for during her internship offered her a job before our last term in law school even started. Yep. You heard that right. Apparently, they were just so impressed by Berry's hard work at the office. I'm actually pretty proud of her since she's the only one who really wanted to pursue Environmental and Animal Law. That's some hero stuff right there.

Now we come to the main event. The Unholy Trinity.

I don't mean to brag, actually I do, but we're pretty in demand. Corporate firms expressing their relentless desires to hire us on the spot during an interview. But you see, Mami didn't like that. According to her, she called dibs on the three of us even though she didn't. Anyway, long story short, us three will be working directly for Mami as her associates in a few months after hopefully passing the bar. Mother made it clear to everyone that we'll be working _only_ for her. So, it's kind of a blessing and a curse at the same time. I can barely imagine the pressure.

On a side note, remember Laura Castle? Yep, Carrot Top. Something went down, you see. During the Fall term of our last year in law school, some sorority girl whose father is part of the board back at Yale Law got wind of the redhead's story and spread it around campus. And we all know how rumor gets. Basically, after that got out, Castle's reputation went down in flames. People hated her more and I honestly cannot believe that was even possible. She was basically an outcast for the rest of the year. I actually felt a bit sorry for her. A bit.

We finish our group set and Kurt and Rachel proceed to creep everyone out by doing some renditions of slow love songs that only they can enjoy. The rest of us split up for a while. I suddenly find myself nursing a drink by the corner, unable to find Brittany and playing with the diamond pendant she gave me back when we fixed everything last year.

"Selena, it's a wedding. You're supposed to be happy." Grams' familiar voice mutters beside me and I jump a little from surprise.

"Grams? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with the others back in New York?" I exclaim because seriously, what is she doing at the Changs' wedding?

"I was invited." Grams shrugs. "Well, I had them invite me and they were more than happy to oblige because I love weddings." She adds with a grin.

I shake my head in disbelief. "Do you even know their names?"

Grams seems to think it over for a second. "It's Miko and Turner, right? Or was it Milo and Tanya? Can't seem to remember but I'm definitely sure that they're Asian."

I laugh because I really can't help it this time. "Miko? Like the squirrel from Pocahontas?"

"I knew it. It's Milo!"

"What?" I laugh much harder. "It's Mike and Tina, Grams. I'll give you a half point for Turner. You were totally aiming for Proud Mary right there."

Grams rolls her eyes at me. "Whatever, Selena." She takes a sip of her wine first. "So, you and my granddaughter are moving together in New York, huh?"

I nod with a cheeky grin before taking a sip of my wine. "Yeah, we are. Can't wait for it, actually."

Grams nods as well. "So, when are you making me great grandkids?"

I literally almost spit out my wine. "W-What?"

"You know, like little creatures crawling all over place. Always crying and whining about food and breasts."

I scrunch my face in confusion. "You mean, babies?"

"Yes, exactly!" She replies, exasperated. I just chuckle at her.

"Not right now, Grams. It's too early for that, we've barely graduated."

"Oh, honey. I had Jonathan when I was much younger than you. My beauty and wits just shines through my son and granddaughters as you can see. So, I suggest that you start young." Grams says nonchalantly.

I almost do a face palm when Quinn suddenly approaches us. "What is this I hear about starting young?"

"Those shrieking little beings that only stop screaming whenever you give them your breasts." Grams jests.

"Men?" Quinn raises an eyebrow.

"Little beings, dear."

"Uhmm.. Boys?" Quinn fake grins.

"No honey, like really little human beings."

"Uh.. Midgets?"

I sigh exasperatedly because seriously this talk is giving me a migraine. Both blondes just laugh out loud at their pointless conversation.

"I think babies are cute, S." Quinn mutters with a smile.

"I agree. I was on cloud nine when I had Jonathan. My dead husband and I couldn't be happier at that time. And oh, the sex still gives me shivers."

I roll my eyes. "Fine. They might be cute but like I told you, Grams. It's too early for that."

Quinn nods. "Maybe in a few years or so. Rachel and I discussed it once or twice before."

"You've discussed having a baby with Man-Hands?" I act surprised but I'm really not. I know how serious they are with each other and the fact that they're meant to be is just one of the things that makes me believe in love itself.

"Yeah, why not? We've been together for what, almost three years now? We've talked about it once or twice before. But marriage is the frequent topic that comes up. Haven't you and Britt talked about it? Marriage? Our anniversaries are like, just months apart."

"Amen." Grams raises her wine glass in agreement.

I give Grams a look and shake my head again. "In passing, yeah."

"And don't tell me your reaction's like this one I'm seeing on you." Quinn asks.

My eyes widen. "Oh, no! I'm open to it, actually. We've talked about marriage, once or twice. I told you, Britt's it for me."

Quinn and Grams nod and smirk to each other with an expression I can't decode. Weird bitches. I shrug it off by just taking another sip of my wine and watch Rachel dancing like crazy on stage with Kurt while singing, the audience clearly enjoying the show.

"Just at least tell me that you'll be the one carrying the baby, Q." I groan out loud.

Grams laughs out loud. "I'm sure it's going to be a beautiful baby, either way."

Quinn grins. "Exactly, Grams."

"Yeah, Berry's a keeper." I mumble under my breath. I look at my wine glass and see it empty.

Quinn genuinely smiles at me. "Wow, that's probably the nicest thing you've said about her."

I nod while raising both eyebrows. "She's a keeper. Just you know, keep her somewhere else." I add and chuckle as Quinn rolls her eyes at me.

"I knew it was too good to be true." Quinn mumbles under her breath.

"Miracles don't exist, dear." Grams chimes in and I roll my eyes at the both of them.

"It's been nice chatting with you ladies, but I need to find Brittany now so I can regain a bit of my sanity. So long." I exclaim as I walk away from them.

* * *

I manage to find Brittany after a few minutes. I see her dancing with a kid not more than seven in the middle of the dance floor and I can't help but smile at the scene. She looks so beautiful with her hair down and wearing a yellow dress that stops just above her knees. I walk towards them and tap the small boy on the shoulder.

"Can I get my date back?" I mutter with a grin and laugh out loud when he shakes his head and moves closer to Brittany, hugging her long legs.

"Aww.. He's in love with me, San." Brittany says as she lowers herself and hugs the kid back. "I have to dance with my girlfriend now, okay?" The little kid still shakes his head. Brittany and I both chuckle.

"How about you come back to me after a few years and we'll work something out?" Britt adds and the kid finally grins then walks away from us.

"I think someone's giving me a run for my money." I mutter playfully as we watch the kid walk away.

"Nah, you're the only one for me, darling." Brittany winks at me and grabs me by the waist to slow dance along to Rachel singing "Heaven".

"I hope so." I say and pull her closer towards me. "You look stunning, baby." I add.

"Back at you, San." Brittany smiles at me. We stay silent for a while, just listening to Berry singing. I hate to admit but the girl really has killer vocals.

"Hey, wanna get out of here?" Britt whispers and I remove my head from her shoulders then nod.

Brittany grabs me by the hand and ushers me out of the dance floor and into a garden venue, a few feet away from the reception. We just proceed to walk mindlessly hand in hand for a few minutes, exchanging a few glances every now and then.

"I'm really excited for New York." Brittany mutters with a grin.

"Me too, Britt. It's going to be awesome."

"Do you think it's possible for me to eat only hotdogs for a month then pretzels the next?" She says, like she's seriously considering it.

I laugh. "Whatever you want, Britt. I'll even fall in line with you for that ridiculous line at Shake Shack."

"Ooh! We can take a stroll at Central Park every now and then or watch a show on Broadway! Maybe we can get a dog too!"

"Yes and yes but definitely no to the dog. We'll be barely able to juggle our time together and adding a dog to that mix would be asking for trouble." Brittany does her famous pout and it took all I had in me not to give in.

"How about Lord Tubbington? Can we get him?" She excitedly says.

I think about it for a second. Every time I encounter that damn obese creature, he just loathes me except that one time I gave him food. Otherwise, he makes it his life mission to hate on me. Poor me.

We stumble upon a bench and decide to rest our swollen feet.

"Not until he loses at least twenty pounds. That fat freaking cat needs to go on a diet." I say, upon sitting down.

"He's not fat, San. He's just big boned."

"Same difference, Britt." I counter and Brittany defeatedly nods. I chuckle and raise her hand to give it a kiss. "Fine. Maybe after a few months we could get him from Chicago but I still have to think about getting a dog."

Brittany's face lights up and she bombards me with kisses. "Thank you, San."

"Yeah, I'm the best. I know." I mutter playfully and Brittany smirks.

"You are, actually." She scoots closer to me and places a hand on my thigh.

"U-Uh.. Y-Yeah.." I blush profusely and after a few seconds, Brittany breaks out in laughter.

"I'm just messing with you, baby."

"You always do." I roll my eyes at her and return the gesture by sticking her tongue out.

I look around me and find myself amazed at how beautiful this garden is. I look up and see countless stars illuminating the sky which gives me a smile on my face. All this just warms my heart because come next week, I'll be starting my life with Brittany in New York. Everything cannot be more perfect right now.

"San?"

I hear Brittany call out my name and I slowly turn to look at her only to find that she's not sitting beside me. Rather, she's on the ground. Kneeling on one knee and holding something on her hands while looking at me nervously.

Is this-

HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT.

My eyes widen comically and both of my hands immediately cover my mouth in shock. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!

"S-San, I know that we're just about to take our relationship to another level by moving to New York but I want to take it another step higher." Brittany pauses and smiles nervously. "You are the love of my life, Santana. We're soulmates, we both know that and we're incredibly lucky to find each other. What we have is simply what other people have been trying to find all their lives and there is absolutely nothing that I'd love more than to spend the rest of my life with you, baby."

I feel like choking or maybe it's the tears that are pooling at the back of my eyes that's making it hard for me to breathe.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, will you marry me?" Brittany croaks out and opens the box in her hand to unveil a beautiful diamond ring.

I'm literally so shocked right now that nothing comes out of my mouth nor was I able to say something for an unspecified time because upon looking at Brittany's face, I can't seem to determine if she's confused, about to cry, or dying.

"Oh no." Brittany exclaims and I snap out of my trance. She proceeds to stand up while looking mortified and shaken. "Shit. I'm sorry, San. I pushed it a little too far, didn't I? I mean, we're just about to move to New York and-"

I cut off her rambling by grabbing her by the waist and kissing her deeply. Brittany visibly calms down at the gesture and after a while, we break apart.

"Yes." I exclaim with a giant grin on my face.

Her eyes widen and both eyebrows are raised. "Yes? As in.."

"Yes, baby. Let's get married."

Brittany literally jumps like a little kid in happiness and I can't help but pull her closer and ravish her with kisses because come on, we're freaking engaged! I'm now engaged to this wonderful woman in front of me. The most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes upon. The most amazing person I know.

The blonde proceeds to slip on the ring into my finger and it easily fits, albeit a little loose. Brittany notices it and says something about having it resized tomorrow. I think I mentioned something about buying her a ring as well so everyone knows that she's fucking mine too. We kiss for a short period once again before pulling apart and agreeing to walk back to the reception, hand in hand.

"Should we tell them now?" I ask, looking at Brittany.

"Maybe not tonight. I don't think we should steal the Changs' thunder. Asian karma or something." She replies and we both chuckle.

"Wait. Grams and Quinn both knew about this, didn't they?"

Brittany nods. "Our families, actually. I asked for Richard and Maribel's blessing yesterday first."

I look at her in amazement. "I can't put into words how wonderful you are, Britt."

"How about you just show me?"

I pull her closer towards me. "You don't have to ask me twice."

"I love you times infinity, San."

I smile back, the smile that I can only seem to give to Brittany and no one else. That one reserved only just for her.

"I love you so much, Britt."

When we arrive back at the reception, our friends immediately cheer and pull us both for a group dance with the newlyweds. We dance like crazy and just laugh about every single thing. After a moment, we're handed wine by the waiters and toast for the newlyweds. I manage to catch a quick glance at Brittany looking back at me with that smile I know she only reserves for me.

I was wrong about saying that life cannot be anymore perfect right now. Because apparently, every single day with Brittany is and will be better than the last one. And with knowing that I'll get to spend the rest of my life with her, life is gonna be pretty friggin' awesome.

Yeah. Definitely.

* * *

**Sequel will take place after two and a half years and in New York at the Lopez firm. Chapters will be named after movie title puns. Most likely in the same POV or maybe do it in third person, still thinking about it. Lemme know what you'd prefer. Give me three weeks tops to settle details and it'll be ready to go.**

**A wedding will take place in the first chapter, not the wedding you're hoping for though. A lot has happened in those two and a half years. That, I can give you. We all know the endgame ;)**

**Lemme know what you think about this chapter and what you'd like to see in the sequel!**

**Thank you for sticking with me throughout this story! After a while, crocodile!**


	26. SEQUEL UPDATE :)

HEY GUYS!

It took me a long time to get it up and going but I finally have the first three chapters of the sequel ready, edited and all! :) I've gotten advanced feedback on the first two chaps courtesy of ChillYourBeans (I'm forever grateful haha) so if you want spoilers, she has the answers hahaha. And like I said, I'll be posting the first chapter this Sunday with updates every Sunday from then on. I'll always announce in advance if I won't get to update on a particular week over tumblr though.

Anyway, a few things you should know about the sequel:

1\. Sequel takes place 3 years after LoA and in New York at the Lopez firm.

2\. Every chapter will be named after a movie, tv series, song, or book title pun. Same interchanging POVs between Santana and Brittany like in LoA.

3\. First two chapters are connected, like a part 1 and 2 kind of thing and they're both long. It starts with a wedding.

4\. Grams will be a regular character. And it's more centralized with the characters now since it's based in New York.

5\. There's a bunch of law stuff like in LoA but in the form of courtroom cases, debates, and whatnot with the Unholy Trinity in action.

6\. A few flashbacks to fill in the blanks of the time jump as well as answer questions presented in the fic.

7\. I will play football with your heart during the first few chapters but don't worry, it won't last and I'll make it up to everyone. I promise ;)

*****I mapped out this sequel waayyy before I got to finish LoA so I have a definite path of where the story is heading right until the very last chapter. I'm not just making it up for the sake of messing with you all and yes, we'll get to where you want it to go in time. If you've ever read any of my other stories before and liked it, then trust me when I say I know where I'm going with this story and how I'll deliver it. I'll bring on the fluff, small angst, humor, smut, and romance in this. Everything! :D

Follow this story for another update when I post it or just wait for the title to show up on Sunday, totally up to you!

Here's a little snippet of the sequel's first chapter as well the title and synopsis. See you in a few days! THANK YOU! :)

* * *

**Laws of Perfect Gravity**

**_Summary: _**_AU. Sequel to Laws of Attraction. After Harvard Law, Brittany and Santana's seemingly happily ever after takes an unexpected turn when they are thrown into a series of misfortunes. Now, three years later since graduation, they find themselves in familiar territory again when they are drawn back into each other's lives albeit closer, funnier, and more complicated than ever with the help of everyone around them._

* * *

**Much 'I Do' About Nothing - Part I**

* * *

**\- Brittany's POV -**

"Miss Pierce?" A woman's voice wakes me up from my heavy slumber. "Miss Pierce, you need to wake up."

I slowly open my eyes and look up to see a flight attendant smiling back at me. "Ma'am, we're arriving momentarily. Please put on your seatbelt." She adds and motions to the window beside me.

I'm still a little drowsy but nonetheless, I nod courteously at her which she returns before moving on to wake up a few passengers as well. I'm not sure how long I've slept throughout the whole flight but when I stretch a few of my limbs, I hear some cracking and popping indicating that I might have been out a little longer than I anticipated. I look around me and watch the few people seated in my section prepare themselves for our landing. When I'm at least a little more aware of my surroundings now, I reposition my seat as it were before and buckle up like I was told to. As we all wait, I lean towards the side of my seat and perch an elbow on my arm rest. I place my head on it then proceed to look out the window beside me.

From afar, I see the New York skyline. Towering buildings and whatnot. The early morning sun shining upon the city while during the evenings, it's full of lights and music. A city full of diversity and excitement. I'm so in love with this city and everything that comes with it. Of course, Santana is in it so I guess that adds to the charm of everything. I miss her so much and words cannot express how excited I am to see her again.

Momentarily, the plane touches down and we finally arrive on land after a nonstop flight from London to New York. After a few minutes, everyone hurries to scramble out of the plane while I just take my time to get everything I need before making my way towards the plane's exit.

"Welcome back to New York." The flight attendant from a while ago tells me with a big grin.

* * *

**See ya! Tumblr handle's kpgleek13 ****for questions about the sequel or anything under the sun. I don't bite ;)**

_*I'll probably post another fic along with the LoA sequel just for the hell of it. So, lemme know which one you'd prefer between Princess &amp; Me and Pushing Serendipity. Details and Summary for both stories can be seen in my profile under 'Future Stories'._


	27. SEQUEL POSTED :)

Sequel is now up and going!

Finding it hard to post the link. Just search the title "**Laws of Perfect Gravity**" or find it on my profile :)

Enjoy! :D


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